The world's most dangerous search terms

Posted By Erica Alini Tuesday, June 5, 2007 - 7:14 PM Share

Yesterday, McAfee Site Advisor released its yearly report on "The State of Search Engine Safety." Perhaps inspired by the Department of Homeland Security, the study provides a colorful graph illustrating the level of risk associated with the most popular keywords: Red means "high danger," yellow "medium danger," and green is for the secure stuff.

You would think that porn sites are the biggest magnets of spyware and viruses, but it's actually innocent-looking words like "BearShare" and "screensaver" that are most likely to cause you trouble. Also, beware of "mp3" or "ipod nano," as the con men of the web find file-sharing software and technological gadgets to be potent honey for gullible flies.

Gossip lovers are another frequent target: The combination "Brad Pitt + Jennifer Aniston," for example, often leads to dangerous web ambushes. The work of overeager Jolie fans, perhaps?

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