We've all done it; we've seen something in our Facebook feed that promises to 'tear your heart out when you see what they do with the spoon' and regardless of the fact that most of the time, it is contrived pap, we get caught over and over again.
Why should we be worried? Well, for every harmless video showing the latest 'talent show shocker', there's more than lead you down a rabbit hole of possible malware infection and worse.
Before you know it, there's a warning on the screen that "your Flash player is out of date, click to update now!" and this turns out to be nothing to do with Flash but in fact has loaded Malware and worse onto your system.
So be aware of what you are clicking and remember just because it seems to have come from someone you know, that's isn't always the case if they have been infected.
These clickbait stories are there to drive users from site to site, earning the site owners money and if you are entertained and your pc remains un-infected, that's fair enough. The less scrupulous sites however, are simply a cover to get onto your pc in any way possible.
So keep this in mind, the next time someone posts "I couldn't believe what he did with a wasp and a sink-plunger" just pause and think...
Do you need to see it? Did you want to be "blown away!"?
We do seem to have turned into a society manipulated at every corner by the promise of the fantastic and shocking, and whilst this practice now happens everywhere (certain talent shows with wonderfully choreographed shock and awe faces come to mind), its on your PC that the damage can be done.
So be aware of what you are clicking, and if you really can't help it as "this will blow your mind!", don't say I didn't warn yer!
Safe surfing folks!
Rob
