Do you know that doing a harmless online search on your favourite Bollywood actress can land you in trouble? Yes according to a recent study by computer security company McAfee, most of the popular search terms like current events, gadgets and celebrities are used by cyber criminals to lure their victims.
The study, The Web's Most Dangerous Search Terms, finds that these terms differ across the globe, while in US the most dangerous search terms include word unscrambler, free music downloads and MySpace. In France, they include poker, solitaire, deezer and billiards. Bebo, friv, hot UK deals and YouTube are the most dangerous search terms of UK.
Wondering what are the most dangerous search terms of India? Read on to find out.
One of the largest Mobile Java Games sites Waptrick is the most dangerous search term in India. According to McAfee the search term has a maximum risk percentage of 30.09 per cent. The `maximum risk' here refers to the maximum percentage of risky sites a user might encounter on a single page of search results.
From Waptrick site users can download free content specifically customised for phones. This includes music, ringtones, wallpapers, animations, logos and adult videos.
The second most dangerous search term in India is the Bollywood's current heartthrob Katrina Kaif. According to the 'The Web's Most Dangerous Search Terms' report the actress is one of the most dangerous online search words in India and queries related to her name can come up with results linking to malicious software and online scams.
The report says the search word Katrina Kaif has a maximum risk percentage of 28.6.
Google's popular social networking site Orkut ranks at no. 3 on the most dangerous Indian search terms list.
According to the report, the social networking platform has a maximum risk percentage of 25.96. Over the past few years, Orkut has been several times hit by many scams that compromise the user's computer by downloading malicious malware.
In December 2008, Orkut was hit by a Worm that compromised over 400,000 users. According to research reports, Orkut is most popular in Brazil and India.
At no. 4 on the list is Yahoo Mail. According to McAfee report, California-based Yahoo's free email service has a maximum risk percentage of 25.96.
McAfee says, "Hackers are most successful when they can attract a large number of victims. One way to target big crowds online is to track current events - everything from celebrity meltdowns and natural disasters to holidays and popular music."
One key tool cyber criminals use to snare their victims is to get them to download a computer file or programme that comes with a malicious payload.
Bollywood's lover boy Shahid Kapur may still not be among the most bankable stars in terms of boxoffice performance. However, the chocolate hero, courtesy his huge online fan following, surely seem to be a bankable property for criminals.
Shahid ranks at no. 5 in the list. Among the most Googled young actors, Shahid Kapoor beats his rivals Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan in terms of online search.
The report says that the term Shahid Kapur has a maximum risk level of 22.2 per cent. The report highlights that celebrities are used by scammers and hackers to lure internet users to download malicious codes. According to the security firm, "Hackers and cyber criminals are often able to persuade searchers to download files carrying malicious software that can cause consumers to expose their personal and financial data."
Free email service Rediffmail is at no. 6 on the list of most dangerous search terms in India. The maximum risk percentage of search term Rediffmail is at 20 per cent, according to McAfee report.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
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