McAfee, Inc. Report Reveals Growing Dangers of Digital Music and Movies
September 14 2010 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE) today announced the findings of its 2010
“Digital Music & Movies Report: The True Cost of Free
Entertainment”
(http://newsroom.mcafee.com/images/10039/DMMRReport_US_25Aug2010.pdf),
revealing a growing number of cyber threats associated with the
popularity of online music and videos. McAfee researchers found
that adding the word “free” to searches increases the risk of
landing on a malicious site. McAfee also revealed that
cybercriminals hide malicious content in music and movie-related
sites, and even fan clubs sites.
In recent years, as consumers have increasingly watched video or
downloaded music online, cybercriminals have shifted their attacks
to include more dangerous websites, malicious ads and video viewing
tools. According to comScore, more than 177 million U.S. Internet
users watched online video in June, up from 157 million a year ago.
As downloading of digital content has increased, so have the
dangers associated with it.
Summary of Key Findings
In the report, researchers outlined several specific threats
including the threat of “free” software, MP3s and streaming video,
dangerous fan pages and malicious ads that appear even on
well-established, reputable web sites. The research found that
adding the word “free” to a search for music ringtones resulted in
a 300 percent increase in the riskiness of sites returned by major
search engines in English. The word “free” in other languages
yielded similar results.
Searching for “MP3s” added risk to music search results, while
searching for “free MP3s” made those searches even riskier. Even
when a consumer indicated that they wanted to pay for the MP3 in
their search, results still sent them to pirated content.
McAfee also discovered thousands of malicious and highly
suspicious URLs associated with fan clubs or comments made on
social media sites, such as YouTube and Twitter. Malicious
advertising or “malvertising,” where an ad is used to distribute
malware or exploit the user’s browser, is a common means of
infection. For instance, McAfee identified “malvertising” on
perezhilton.com as recently as June that redirected users to a
domain that delivered malicious software.
“Consumers are visiting fan sites, downloading movies and
reading celebrity news, but generally aren’t aware of the risks,”
said Paula Greve, director of web security research for McAfee.
“They can access ‘free’ content quickly and easily, but it comes at
a price. Consumers must stay aware of the risks and be on the
lookout for potential new dangers.”
Important Tips to Stay
Safe
According to Greve, to stay safe online, consumers should follow
these guidelines when enjoying digital media:
- Avoid searching for “free”
content. Instead, stick to legitimate, paid sites to get music and
movies
- Avoid clicking on links in
banner ads on music, movie and download sites that aren’t
well-established
- Use comprehensive security
software, such as McAfee® Total ProtectionTM, to protect against
the latest threats
- Use common sense: Don’t click on
links posted in forums or on fan pages
- Use a safe search plug-in, such
as McAfee® SiteAdvisor® software that visually shows consumers a
red, yellow or green annotation to warn of potentially risky sites
in search results and shows them the safe sites
- Realize that the more popular a
topic, movie or artist is, the more risky the search results
For a full version of the report, please visit
http://newsroom.mcafee.com/images/10039/DMMRReport_US_25Aug2010.pdf.
About McAfee® SiteAdvisor® technology
McAfee SiteAdvisor technology protects users from malicious
websites and browser exploits, and notifies users whether a site
has been scanned by McAfee for potential vulnerabilities.
SiteAdvisor technology tests and rates nearly every trafficked site
on the Internet and uses red, yellow and green icons to indicate
the website’s risk level.
SiteAdvisor site ratings are created by using patented advanced
technology to conduct automated website tests. The SiteAdvisor
software can be downloaded quickly and for free at
www.mcafee.com/siteadvisor. SiteAdvisor software works with
Internet Explorer and Firefox.
About McAfee, Inc.
McAfee, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the
world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee
delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help
secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world,
allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop
the Web more securely. Backed by unrivaled Global Threat
Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home
users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by
enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data,
prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously
monitor and improve their security. McAfee secures your digital
world. http://www.mcafee.com
Note: McAfee, the McAfee logo, SiteAdvisor and McAfee Total
Protection are registered trademarks or trademarks of McAfee, Inc.,
or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other
names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. ©2010
McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved. The product plans, specifications
and descriptions herein are provided for information only, subject
to change without notice, and without warranty of any kind, express
or implied.
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