Everyone loves superheroes including, it seems, computer hackers.
In readiness for the annual San Diego Comic-Con (a comic festival), internet safety company, McAfee, researched the world’s favourite superheroes and found that many of them are the equivalent of “kryptonite on the web”.
McAfee’s online security evangelist, Robert Sicilano, says that when he was a kid, he only had access to his superheros on weekend television.
“Today kids can find everything they need to know (and more) about their favourite superhero online. And with computers, Internet-connected game consoles and mobile devices all readily available, they can access this information at any time.”
But he says searching for fun superhero facts may not be so innocent.
“With the resurgence of the superheroes into mainstream movies, hackers are leveraging their popularity to target consumers.”
He says that hackers like to target big crowds online so any activity such as celebrity followings, popular holidays and popular movies are vulnerable.
McAfee’s top 15 superheroes with their percentage of viruses, spyware, adware, phishing, malware or malicious software risk are:
Aquaman: 18.6%
Mr. Fantastic: 18.2%
The Hulk: 17.3%
Wonder Woman: 16.8%
Daredevil: 16.7%
Iron Man: 15.6%
Superman: 15.2%
Thor: 15.1%
Green Lantern: 15.0%
Cyclops: 14.4%
Wolverine: 14.3%
Invisible Woman: 12.4%
Batman: 12.3%
Captain America: 11.8%
Spider-Man: 11.2%
Mr Siciliano has four tips to help the superhero fans in your household stay safe online.
1. Be suspicious
If a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary.
2. Beware
Of content that prompts you to download anything before providing you with content. You may want to opt to watch streaming videos or download content from an established media site such as the ABC.
3. Free downloads
Are significantly the highest virus-prone search terms. Anyone searching for videos or files to download should be careful as not to unleash malware on their computer.
4. Double-check the web address
Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe.
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