About 30 percent of all internet is porn. Porn sites also rank among the most visited websites in the world. For example, Xvideos is currently the tenth most visited and PornHub is the fourteenth most visited website in the world. Many adult sites are no more of a threat to your PC than more mainstream sites, but adult sites are often the first line of attack by hackers looking to infect the computers of millions of unsuspecting individuals.
First, to answer your questions, YES, you must have an antivirus installed before visiting pornographic websites just like you should when browsing the web more generally.
Many sites pose a threat to user protection, and you need a reliable antivirus that can actually provide real security. There is no shortage of antivirus programs on the internet, but you need one that provides real security. You should read comparison of most famous antiviruses in this Kaspersky review before investing in one program. Now to the reasons behind the emphasis on installing a good antivirus if you watch porn.
Many porn sites carry low-quality “risky” advertisements
Few brand-name advertisers want to have their business associated with the adult industry and so the free porn sites that receive millions of visitors each day turn to a lower class of advertiser to generate revenues. The majority of these advertisers are perfectly legitimate, but the lower tier advertising networks generally have lower quality control and so malware and other nasties are more likely to slip through the net. All online advertising can inject malware and some big name publishers have been caught out, but the issue is more common on the adult web.
Sextortion has become a concern
Many hear this word for the first time when this happens to them – when they receive an anonymous email saying that they have been recorded via their webcam and they need to pay a ransom in Bitcoins or the tape will be released online. The vast majority of these emails are actually clever targeted spam, but it is certainly possible for hackers to record you remotely via your webcam if you have been tricked into installing some malware and no-one wants to be faced with this issue.
Do not grant any permissions
It’s become common for websites to ask for additional permissions as soon as you visit them. While they say it’s to provide better user experience, it’s far from the truth. Most websites use your data for marketing purposes. Some pornographic websites also ask for such permissions and want to show you desktop notifications. Make sure you don’t give them any additional rights on your computer.
Keep your browser up-to-date
Simply keeping your browser up to date makes a great difference in your online security. It blocks a lot of malicious websites and stops them from downloading data on your computer without your permission. Furthermore, be sure to disable media plugins like Java and Flash when visiting such websites as they have traditionally been host to major security flaws.
Photograph by Poolski