Cyber threats can emerge from the most unlikely of places.  While many consumers have been conditioned to not open suspicious-looking emails that end up in their spam boxes, there are new ways for the bad guys to infect their computers.

For example, simply searching the web via Google can direct you to sites that will infect your computer with Malware.  This new concept is called ‘search engine poisoning’ where cyber criminals make their sites score high in Google searches in the hopes you will click on the infected links.

When this happens, bad guys will create a pop up ad selling bogus tools for cleansing your computer of viruses.  Cyber criminals can also impersonate you on Facebook, as well create spam email from your email account and host Malware on your computer.

Chris Larsen, Malware Research Team Leader at Blue Coat, was recently featured on USA Today’s site about these new and emerging threats.  Be sure to check out the interview with Chris below.

In addition, as part of an ongoing series, we have been interviewing Mr. Larsen on a number of topics including Malware attacks and government.

Below is an exclusive podcast with Mr. Larsen who further discusses the cyber threats that come from simply searching the Internet.  He also discusses how social media sites like Facebook can carry hidden threats.