Member Avatar for BobLewiston

Please excuse my naiveté: exactly what types of websites am I supposed to steer clear of to avoid contracting malware infections?

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 124 Views
  • 13 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by jholland1964

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical add-on to the thread for — good points from and . Rather than only naming site categories, focus on what makes any page risky and what to do before you interact with it.

Watch for these red flags on any site

  • URLs that don’t match the brand (typosquatting), or are heavily obfuscated/shortened.
  • Pages that push you to install a plugin, codec or an executable to view content.
  • Multiple rapid redirects or lots of third‑party ad frames (malvertising can ride legitimate ad networks).
  • Login forms on non‑HTTPS pages or any certificate errors reported by your browser.

Quick pre‑visit checks and a simple workflow

  • Paste the URL into a URL scanner to see if engines flag it (for example, VirusTotal).
  • Check whether Google has recently flagged the site (Google Safe Browsing).
  • Read up on drive‑by download techniques so those warning signs make sense ().

Practical habits that reduce risk

  • Never run downloaded executables unless from the vendor site and you’ve verified signatures/checksums.
  • Use a separate, hardened browser profile (or a sandbox/VM) for risky browsing.
  • Operate day‑to‑day with a non‑admin account and keep regular backups.

No single rule stops every attack; combine quick URL checks, cautious habits, and isolation (sandbox/VM) when you must interact with unknown sites. This complements the layered defenses recommends and addresses the “surprising places” mentioned without relying on trusting any single site.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for PhilliePhan

Please excuse my naiveté: exactly what types of websites am I supposed to steer clear of to avoid contracting malware infections?

The obvious answer is: Any site dealing with Porn/Warez/Cracks.

In my experience, though, nothing is truly "safe." There are just varying degrees of safety.

Malware targets youngsters via sites set up for them because they don't know any better when asked to download something.

I can remember when wrestling sites were a prime source of infection.

I was browsing Philly.com a few weeks ago and clicked a seemingly legit link and was hit with a pop up for a rogue anti-malware app that produced a flash video of said app pretending to "scan" my computer for baddies.
A lot of people are infected that way when they download and install these rogues...

Heck - I've seen legitimate security websites hacked (html code injection, etc...) and people getting infected that way.

Forewarned is forearmed, I suppose.

Cheers :)
PP

Member Avatar for jholland1964

Key is don't leave yourself unprotected.
Use a good anti-virus program, firewall there are several good FREE ones of both available.
AV programs:
Avira
Avast
Firewalls:
r
COMODO Firewall

Use a good anti-malware remover. Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware is one of the best today. Update and scan at least weekly and remove all found. Very often the first tool recommended when a known infection has gone on attack.
Make sure your browser has the correct security settings including 1st party cookies ONLY, block 3rd party cookies. Use a safer browser, Firefox is one which is certainly more secure than IE.
Add the WEB of TRUST add-on to the browser. Won't stop you from going to websites but will give you a warning that a web site may not be trusted.
Use a program like SpywareBlaster to add to your protection.
Keep your programs up to date. A safer computer is certainly an up to date computer.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.