McAfee WebAdvisor
| McAfee SiteAdvisor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Error creating thumbnail: File missing | |
| Developer | McAfee |
| Initial release | April 2006 |
| Repository |
|
| Engine | |
| Operating system | Cross-platform |
| Website | siteadvisor.com archive |
McAfee WebAdvisor, previously known as McAfee SiteAdvisor, is a service that reports on the safety of web sites by crawling the web and testing the sites it finds for malware and spam. A browser extension can show these ratings on hyperlinks such as on web search results.[1]
The service was originally developed by SiteAdvisor, Inc, an MIT startup[2] first introduced at CodeCon on February 10, 2006,[3] and later acquired by McAfee[4] on April 5, 2006.
Usage
[edit | edit source]Prior to mid-October 2014, the functionality of SiteAdvisor could be accessed by submitting a URL to the website at https://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/, but can now also be accessed through a downloadable Browser Plugin.[5][citation needed]
Sites are rated in levels of Safe (green tick), Suspicious (yellow exclamation mark) and Unsafe (red "X").
Additional features include:
- Rates email and IM links
- Indicates sites potentially harmful to your computer
- Allows users to safely shorten URLs when sharing links
- Alerts users to possible phishing and identity theft scams
- Redirects you away from red and yellow sites (if Protected Mode is enabled).[citation needed]
Products and services
[edit | edit source]McAfee WebAdvisor is available as a free download on McAfee's website[1] as well as bundled with McAfee Antivirus Plus, McAfee Internet Security, McAfee Total Protection, McAfee McAfee+ Premium, McAfee+ Advanced, McAfee+ Ultimate, and McAfee Business Protection.
McAfee WebAdvisor makes use of the TrustedSource website reputation organisation, to act as something like a 'cloud' intelligence software to get the most up-to-date information on websites as possible, very similar to McAfee's Active Protection (Artemis) system.[citation needed] The details of this system are not known.
Orther features of McAfee WebAdvisor include:
- Download Protection - This can stop downloads which are considered to be slightly, probably or possibly risky depending on setting determined by the user.
- Protection against accidental clicks
- Blocks malware and phishing websites if you accidentally click on a malicious link.
- Protection against typos - Warns you if you enter a web address incorrectly and points you to the correct one.
- Social Media Protection - color-codes links in your social media feeds to show you which ones are safe.
Games and quizzes
[edit | edit source]In March 2006, McAfee launched a JavaScript-based quiz which has users pick between sites rated as safe and unsafe.[6]
A flash-based memory training game called WebQuest was launched around 2007.[7]
Studies and research
[edit | edit source]WebAdvisor has published various reports regarding online threats such as typosquatting, where mistyped domains may lead to sites ranging from harmless pay-per-click and domain parking sites to pornographic and malware sites.[8]
Criticism
[edit | edit source]False negatives
[edit | edit source]The very nature of WebAdvisor and the long periods between site crawls mean that, even if the WebAdvisor tests were 100% accurate, a Safe rating offers no guarantee of safety. Malicious code and browser exploits often spread fast over large numbers of websites,[9] meaning a Safe rating may not be up to date and provide a false sense of security. To resolve this, McAfee WebAdvisor now uses McAfee's AI technology[10] to analyze site content before a website is opened.
Awards
[edit | edit source]- Time magazine named SiteAdvisor.com among the 50 coolest websites of 2006.[11]
- Popular Science awarded SiteAdvisor the "Best of What's New" award in the Computing category for 2006.[12]
- PC World ranked SiteAdvisor at #15 in "The 100 Best Products of 2007."[13]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ SiteAdvisor - Spyware Quiz - March 2006
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).