Websites offering adult content, software, and entertainment are the most dangerous for Internet users. These sites cause major damage both financially and to computers.

These are the findings of analysis carried out by WOT, Web of Trust. The study is based on analysis of 17 million websites rated by the WOT user community. The study revealed the largest three categories among risky websites:

• Adult content: 28% of the dangerous sites analysed
• Software: 27% (free and licensed software sold and downloaded over the Internet)
• Entertainment: 16% (movies, games, music, screensavers, smileys)

Other dangerous categories include search sites, digital marketing providers, and consumer research sites making empty promises of free gifts or money.

The main vehicle in the above scams is a permanent website, unlike the "throwaway" sites used in phishing attacks carried out with the aid of fraudulent email messages. Dangerous sites usually remain in business for months or years, attracting millions of visitors and causing them damage.

The nature of this damage is twofold:

• Direct financial damage is caused by non-delivered or poor-quality products, by lack of payment, or through credit/debit card fraud.
• Computer damage is caused by installing malicious software or changing the computer’s settings. Increasing online threats include spyware that makes the user vulnerable to further attacks.

A list of the 50 most dangerous sites is available at the WOT website.

Esa Suurio, CEO of Against Intuition, told UKLEblog, "With this study we wanted to shed light on the dark corners of the Internet. The findings show that Internet users should be really cautious when downloading software, movies, music, and screensavers, not to mention when visiting sites with adult content".

"Many of the dangerous websites are well designed and seem reliable, but if you download content from them you may run into problems, even with the latest security software installed on your PC. In particular, spyware can bypass security controls, leaving you vulnerable to further attacks."

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