“Dirtiest Web Sites of Summer 2009”

A global provider of security, storage and systems management solutions Symantec identified 100 “Dirtiest Web Sites of Summer 2009”. The company listed 100 sites with the most threats detected by site ratings service Norton Safe Web as of August 2009. These sites represent the “worst of the worst” based on the number of threats detected by Norton Safe Web.

According to the official press release 48% of the sites in the list are related to adult content. The remainder of them included sites dedicated to deer hunting, catering, figure skating, legal services, and buying electronics. The company says that just “visiting one of these sites, without downloading or clicking on anything in particular, could put you at risk of exposing your computer to infection, and worse, put your identity, personal and financial information into the hands of cybercriminals”

“This list underscores what our research shows— there has been exponential growth in the number of online threats that are constantly evolving as cybercriminals look for new ways to target your money, identity or assets. In 2008, most new infections occurred while people were surfing the Web1,” said Rowan Trollope, senior vice president, Consumer Business Unit, Symantec. “Norton Safe Web provides visual ratings that let consumers know about potential risks before visiting a site. Armed with this information, consumers are empowered to make informed decisions about which sites to visit.”