Top porn sites 'pose growing malware risk' to users

[KentPhilip]

BBC News - Top porn sites 'pose growing malware risk' to users

Would like to draw the community's attention to this story, just in case there are any <cough> users of some such sites as these..

Apparently the risk is not from the sites themselves, but iframe-based and other adverts on the site provided by un-verified third parties.

But the reality is that these are hugely popular sites with many of them in the top 100 most popular sites globally. Some of them pull in more traffic than the BBC
(is that because most BBC content is w*nk ? )


I strongly recommend a piece of software called Sandboxie that I discovered a few weeks ago. With it when you run a browser any code run or downloaded by a web page is held in a sandboxed location outside of the normal OS locations. This means that when you finish browsing and empty the sandbox, all traces of any changes made by the page, including any viruses or malware, are erased.
What I do is load up the sites that I used regularly, logging on so that cookies are saved, in an ordinary browser. Then all subsequent browsing is done by the browser in Sandboxie, and it picks up these cookies (so you don't have to log on again) and keeps your machine 100% safe from any sites visited. And it does not slow down the browser at all.

Anyone else use this, or an equivalent?

[centurian]

It beggars belief that web browsers (particularly IE) still have security holes that even allow this to be possible.

Surely a browser like IE should have a (default) mode which means no permanent changes are applied to the computer, yet still allows developers to design functional sites.

[AtW]

Surely a browser like IE should have a (default) mode which means no permanent changes are applied to the computer, yet still allows developers to design functional sites.

Good idea!

Please email it to [email protected]

[VectraMan]

It beggars belief that web browsers (particularly IE) still have security holes that even allow this to be possible.

Surely a browser like IE should have a (default) mode which means no permanent changes are applied to the computer, yet still allows developers to design functional sites.

Indeed. How is it even possible for Javascript, which is downloaded, compiled and run in the browser to do anything harmful to your computer? I could write something in C++ in 2 minutes that'd delete all your files, but that's because it's native code. Sandboxie appears to be about protecting you against downloaded programs. Well don't download them.

No doubt this is mostly about people who still run IE6. And in this instance, I feel it's justified to add a .

[KentPhilip]

I guess the concern is not that the browsers are functionally capable of making permanent changes, but that bugs in them allow that to happen.
Personally I use Firefox 20.0 on windows 7. I don't know how safe that is in the face of the worst websites, but at least Sandboxie provides an extra level of protection.

Of course it is only time before malware authors find holes in Sandboxie security, but this won't happen until Sandboxie becomes more popular.

[Platypus]

Well don't download them. No doubt this is mostly about people who still run IE6.

Not really. When the last time you interacted with real PC users? Your sibling/mum/dad/neighbour?

Every time, and I mean every time, there's a pop up which says "Security threat detected click to download (and run) free anti virus / pc checker" they click it

It's users who are the problem, not browsers.

[doodab]

It's not so much the browsers as the plugins IMO. Ultimately these run as the user running the browser, so if you're loading content into a plugin then a carefully crafted exploit can run anything that user can run. They might need a click on a yes button but it's not that hard to get a desperate ****** to click a button is it...

[Platypus]

but it's not that hard to get a desperate ****** to click a button is it...

Meet hot sexy 20 year old girls in your area with enormous tits who want to get laid tonight.




click click click click click click click click click click click click click






Damn.... another virus

[AtW]

I don't know how safe that is in the face of the worst websites, but at least Sandboxie provides an extra level of protection.

Did you split up with your janitor girlfriend or something?

[doodab]

Meet hot sexy 20 year old girls in your area with enormous tits who want to get laid tonight.




click click click click click click click click click click click click click






Damn.... another virus

The virus would be a lot worse if all that clicking actually worked