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Beware of superheroes flying online

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Preeti
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INDIA: McAfee reveals the top Most Toxic Superheroes that result in the greatest number of risky websites when you search for them online. The research found that searching for the latest "Aquaman and free torrent download," "Aquaman and watch," "Aquaman and online," "Aquaman and free trailer" and "Aquaman pictures and downloads" yields a 18.6 per cent chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.

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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 now searching for these super heroes may not be all that innocent as just looking for fun facts, says a McAfee note.

With the resurgence of the superheroes into mainstream movies (think Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America to name a few), hackers are leveraging their popularity to target consumers. 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-and now, superheroes.

The company advises to be suspicious and if a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary. It tells to also 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 site. 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. Double-check the web address. Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe, it cautions.