Most of us will risk getting malware for a killer beach bod: Survey

Daniel Howley
·Technology Editor
Consumers want to get sick beach bods, and don't care if it messes up their computers.
Consumers want to get sick beach bods, and don't care if it messes up their computers.

It turns out most of us will do damn near anything to get a killer beach bod for the summer — whether that’s going on a weeklong kale-juice cleanse or picking up some sweet malware on our computers.

According to a survey conducted by Intel’s security arm, some 88% of consumers have clicked on pop-up ads for diets and fitness programs despite knowing the dangers of such ads.

The survey of 15,000 people between the ages of 21 and 54 also revealed that 30% of respondents had “purchased a service or product from a promotional link without knowing whether or not it’s a secure site.”

That’s like buying a bottle of magic diet pills from the shady guy who hangs out on your street corner in shorts during the winter and expecting not to get sick.

Consumers aren’t just wasting their money, either. By clicking on those ads, they risk loading up their computers with all types of fun malware.

Here’s the thing: Criminals are always trying to get an edge on their victims and authorities. That’s what they do. And cybercriminals are no different.

To do that, cybercriminals have begun targeting their attacks based on seasonality. In this instance, criminals may know people are searching for ways to lose weight before beach season. As a result, they may start sending more emails promising some kind of super diet.

You may also get more pop-up ads revealing how to get in shape in two weeks.

Deploying the same tactic, criminals may also try to trick you into downloading malicious software around the holidays by sending out fake messages from UPS, Amazon or DHL. The hopes is that you used one of the services to order something. In that case, you might be more inclined to open the message and unknowingly download a piece of malware.

The key to avoiding such problems is this: Know what you’re clicking on. If a site seems like it’s offering something that’s too good to be true, then it probably is — so don’t click any of its links. Naturally, you should also keep your PCs, Macs, smartphones and tablets up-to-date with the latest software updates and get some form of anti-virus software.

Oh, and stop with the kale juice cleanse. Your friends are getting tired of hearing about it.

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Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.