I’m NOT suggesting that you stop surfing the web, just that you have Malware protection software running (e.g. antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall, safe link indicator, etc.) when you do.

Ideally you want to have “real-time” protection with your anti-spyware software and “on-access” protection with your antivirus software, and run “on-demand” scans at least monthly. . . more is better. And make sure your definitions are up to date. If they’re NOT, your Malware protection software won’t protect you from the latest threats. Just because you have that little icon down in the systray doesn’t necessarily mean you’re protected.

If you Google a lot, then you’re probably going to be clicking on a lot of unknown links. And even “known” links can sometimes be disguised and be phishing scams (which is a whole ‘other topic and not the subject of this post). A safe link indicator, like WOT (“Web of Trust“), is a good thing to use. I use WOT, but there are many others out there.

Some categories of links that most often carry Malware are: porn sites (more on that in a bit), stock advice sites, and “free” downloads sites.

Porn sites – I’m not suggesting that users voluntarily go to porn sites (though some do), but some of the names of these sites are misleading. For example, someone wishing to visit the Whitehouse site may think the URL would be “Whitehouse.com”. But “Whitehouse.com” is actually a porn site (well . . . no longer . . . it was taken down and that domain was purchased by another “non-porn” sponsor). What is really the Whitehouse web site is “Whitehouse.gov”.

Porn sites will frequently hijack your browser home page, inundate you with pop-ups every time you run your browser, and embed Malware so deep in your Registry that it’s hard to get out.

Stock advice sites – There are a lot of legitimate stock advice sites, like Thomson, Morningstar, and The Wall Street Journal, but a lot of stock advice sites are just plain nasty.

For example, stock message boards, like the ones that Yahoo maintains, can be breeding grounds not only for pump-and-dump schemes, but links that contain Malware. It’s a good idea NOT to click on links on these message boards – no matter how “good” the poster (who will likely be a stranger) says the stock advice is.

Free download sites – There is a lot of good free software out there. But unless you are sure about the safety of the software you are downloading, it’s a good idea NOT to download it. That’s because a lot of “free” software is supported by adware and spyware that’s included with it, unknown to the user. And, believe it or not, a lot of “free” so-called antispyware software actually contains spyware itself. Stick with the mainstream free software, like WinPatrol, CCleaner, and such.

But it’s best to download that free software from the vendor’s site, though some mirrors are trustworthy.