Just 3 out of 100 Internet users are able to sniff out sites ready to drop spyware or adware onto their computers, security company McAfee said Wednesday.
In an online quiz run by McAfee's recently-acquired SiteAdvisor, a service that alerts users of possible spyware- and adware-infecting sites via search results at Google, Yahoo, and MSN, 97 percent of more than 14,000 consumers were fooled by one or more malicious sites.
"We know it's not easy to judge a site's safety just by looking at it,
but that's the point: Bad sites are often very good at providing an
aura of safety," said Chris Dixon, head of SiteAdvisor development, in
a statement. "No matter how knowledgeable or perceptive you are, you
can't rely on your instincts alone."
TechWeb