Searches for online PORN are much safer than you think, and this is why

Online porn companies are hard at work to break the myths that their sites are more prone to viruses

SEARCHES for online pornography are much less likely to link to malware than searches for a new smartphone, a Malwarebytes security researcher has claimed.

Despite a number of recent malware scares linked to hugely popular online porn sites, a Malwarebytes security researcher believes these types of searches are statistically safer than searches about smartphones.

Malwarebytes' senior security researcher Jerome Segura recently spoke out to debunk the myth that visiting adult websites will put your PC at risk from malware.

The search-term 'iPhone' is more likely to result in your PC becoming infected with a computer virus than the search-term 'Viagra', he revealed.

The news comes weeks after the revelation that the porn-safe mode in your browser is not as private as previously thought.

In an interview with technology blog TechWorld, Mr Segura claimed adult websites were often safer than many non-porn sites.

"Pornography publishers are about half the publishers we work with" Malwarebytes CEO Marcin Kleczynski has previously revealed.

"They do take security seriously – their response times [to an attack] have been significantly better than other publishers."

Malicious advertising – dubbed malvertising – is one of the most common sources of computer viruses.

Online advertising networks use cookies and other user data to target the flash and banner adverts users see on webpages.

 



US security firm Malewarebytes has previously warned online porn viewers about the spate of malware



But unfortunately "not all ad networks apply the same guidelines" says Mr Segura.

"The ecosystem is very diverse and you'll see that some are pretty strict and others are not so much.

"Because they are all tied in together sometimes an [ad] impression will go through multiple parties – a particular ad impression can go through five, ten, fifteen, twenty different parties before it gets back into your browser".

As a result – ad networks are an effective way to quickly disseminate a computer virus across the web.

Malwarebytes CEO Mr Kleczynski branded malvertising a "very efficient delivery mechanism for malware."

 

The ransomware is found in the adverts across the web, and downloads to the victim's PC

It was using this method of malware distribution that websites including DrTuber, Nuvid, Eroprofile, IcePorn and Xbabe were hit by a computer virus earlier this month.

The affected porn sites collectively attract more than 100 million visitors each month.

The pornographic sites were all infected with malicious adverts that direct users to fraudulent web pages.

Ransomware is then downloaded on to a victim's machine and forces the user to pay a fine.

Ransomware works by either threatening to leak embarassing data, or locking a users' machine until the ransom is paid in full.

The latest malware scare comes weeks after a similar attack took place on PornHub and YouPorn, which posed a serious risk to the sites' 800 million users per month.

The virus was also spotted by the security team at Malwarebytes who confirmed: "Rogue advertisers abused the ExoClick ad network by inserting a seemingly legitimate piece of code as an ad banner."

Here are some simple tips to avoid malware while browsing the web – 

• Install anti-virus/malware software
• Keep your anti-virus software up to date
• Run regularly scheduled scans with your anti-virus software
• Keep your PC or Mac operating system up to date 
• Never use the same email address and password combination across multiple websites
• Think before you click