Superman is most toxic superhero
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a phishing scheme! Security firm McAfee says Net villains like to bait their hyperlink hooks with Superman's moniker.
You'd think that, with all the alien substances they're exposed to, superheroes would be at least three-quarters toxic.
Some, though, attract deadly grime more than others. And Superman is quite positively the worst.
Before you raise your cartoon cudgel, may I say that the dangerous detritus I'm thinking of here isn't the normal sort. No, this is malware, viruses, ugly links, and those sites that exist to steal your password and condemn you to ID theft hell.
For reasons that might be at least partly associated with marketing, McAfee has, for the second year, compiled a list of which superheroes are attracting the most villainous online bait.
Superman is this year's winner. But only just. He is closely followed by the (now graceful lady) Thor.
Wonder Woman and Aquaman tied for third, with Wolverine, Spiderman, Batman, Black Widow, Captain America, Green Lantern, and Ghost Rider completing the Top 10 Most Toxic Superheroes.
McAfee says there's a 16.5 percent chance that clicking on a Superman link will lead you to pages that "tested positive for online threats such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses, or other malware."
You'll be wondering who won last year's crown. Well, it was Aquaman.
Now though, the twisted contortions of those who would entrap you on the Web seem to be following upcoming movies such as "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."
Please be careful out there. Be wary and take a look to see if the URL looks ill-spelled.
The twisted are getting ever more twisted in their schemes. Remember, if you make an ill-judged click, it's unlikely that someone in a cape will fly down to save you.