Before you scan the Internet for more information on the forthcoming film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, know about ‘toxic superheroes’ that can make you a victim of cyber crime
You better be careful next time you search for anything related to Batman or Superman on Internet. Both the superheroes are in the list of top 10 most toxic superheroes for 2014 by McAfee.
A recent research indicated that there are several superheroes that are kryptonite and result in bad links, including viruses and sites laden with malicious software designed to steal personal information. While Superman topped McAfee’s list of most toxic superheroes, Thor was a close second. Aquaman, McAfee’s most toxic superhero of 2013, has slipped to joint third position with Wonder Woman this year. Apart from Wonder Woman, Black Widow was the only woman superhero in the list, which includes male superheroes such as Wolverine, Spiderman and Captain America.
Research was conducted during June 2014 on the top superheroes with the forthcoming film releases or films released over the last few years.“With excitement building for the forthcoming Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, it’s no surprise that these superheroes top the list,” says Robert Siciliano, online security expert for McAfee. While sharing some tips to stay protected, he says, “Always be suspicious. If a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary.”
He also says that any content that prompts downloading before providing the content is dangerous and that videos or information should be downloaded only from established sites like Hulu, Netflix, NBC or ABCtv.
While free downloads might seem tempting and irresistible, Siciliano warns the users against them owing to their vulnerability to virus prone search terms. “Anyone searching for videos or files to download should be careful as not to unleash malware on their computer,” he says and adds that the web address should be double checked.