What can one say about on-line porn sites and security that hasn’t already been said? Most of us know that if we decide to spend time surfing around in the “less desirable” areas of the internet then we are opening ourselves up to the risk of malware infiltrating our computer and infecting everyone we know with viruses. If this information is understood and we know that we are putting ourselves at risk then it can’t be a surprise, with all of the “free” adults-only websites there are out there, that malware distribution itself appears to be the only profitable sideline for the adult industry.” So, what do you need to know?
One group with collaborative efforts from members at Secure Systems Lab, Technical University Vienna, Institute Eurecom, Sophia Antipolis and University of California, Santa Barbara decided to create and operate two different “adult web sites.” They performed a series of experiments and ran a “security analysis of data obtained from web site visitors,” which allowed them to assess and evaluate “remote vulnerabilities of visitors and possible attack vectors.”
One of the scariest parts of their findings was just how inexpensive, and therefore lucrative, it can be to take advantage of site visitors citing that they “could potentially exploit more than 20,000 visitors by spending only $160.”
In short their research lead them to conclude that “many adult web sites try to mislead and manipulate their visitors, with the intent of generating revenue . . . [by employing techniques, which] range from simple obfuscation [like] blind links . . . to sophisticated redirector chains that are used for traffic trading. Additionally, the used techniques have the potential to be exploited in more harmful ways, for example by facilitating CSRF attacks or click fraud.”
You can read more about their research here.
No one is suggesting you should remove any specific website content from your “favourites” menu, we are simply offering a gentle reminder that someone can always see what you are doing and where you have been as long as they have the know-how and access to your system.
At the end of the day, YOU might not catch anything while surfing around on-line porn sites, but your computer might! As with anything, vigilance is key; don’t forget to practice safe surfing. Register for a free 14-day Trial of Acunetix and have your first web vulnerability scan done now, and audit the security of your site before it is too late.
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