Internet porn still main source of threats
A significant 63% of the users attempting to find adult content on their computers compromised their computers’ security on multiple occasions, according to BitDefender.
The study consisted of a survey concerning the psychological background of adult on-line content use, and a net-research aiming to identify the ensuing malware and privacy related issues.
More than 72% of the 2,017 respondents interviewed in the study admitted that they had searched for and accessed adult content sites (78% men and 22% women).
The study also uncovered that of the most accessed pornographic materials, an impressive 91%, were videos that can be downloaded from different sources including torrents, Web sites and hubs.
Real-time adult content sites, such as video-chats and adult dating, ranked second in respondents’ preferences with 72%.
The study went on to reveal that 69% of the interviewed participants declared that they usually access adult content web sites from home, while 25% access them from their work places and only 6% from other locations (Internet cafés, etc.). The main motivations for accessing adult sites were the need to relax (54%) and curiosity (38%).
As expected, adult-content sites and, in general, sex-related topics are very attractive for cybercriminals. When asked if they infected their computers searching for this kind of materials, 63% of respondents admitted that they had had malware-related problems more than one time. The sources of malware were especially links sent via e-mail and free downloadable videos.
On the other hand, the net research on the safety of URLs leading to pornographic sites revealed that of the 1,000 tested links, 29% were infected with different kinds of malware, especially Trojans and spyware.
Moreover, when looking on blogs and on different other “collaborative platforms”, I could find more than 500 credentials exposed on the Internet (accounts and passwords to paid adult-content sites).
The way they were posted, combined with other accounts and passwords of the same user suggested the fact that they were obtained using a malicious piece of software installed on the victim’s computer.
“This BitDefender survey confirms that users should think twice when accessing these pornographic sites since this is an area that cyber criminals continue to exploit,” states Sabina Datcu, E-Threats Analysis and Communication Specialist and author of the survey.
“Over 60 percent of respondents admitted that they have had malware-related issues more than one time as a direct consequence of accessing adult content. In the end, the findings of this study should make users consider whether accessing these sites is worth compromising their systems, data and work.”