(http://www NULL.rj-diamond NULL.com/alex/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/weboftrust NULL.jpg) There is an add-on for Internet Explorer, Opera and Firefox that may help keep you from visiting a fake site that could infect your pc with malware or worse.  The program called “Web of Trust” (From http://www.mywot.com/ (http://www NULL.mywot NULL.com/)), monitors trends (using their own information as well as information from other security providers) from the bad guys who set up these types of sites and either puts a marker or presents you with a message when a link that you are opening is considered to be either a known “phishing” site (a fake site meant to still your information) or a site that is high risk and could be a “phishing” site.  The add-on does not actually block the sites, which means that you as the user still needs to use common sense while surfing the internet, as you could click on the message and tell it to continue to the site in question. 

     The add-on which is easy to install, will show the following type of notice on searches (Green as safe sites, Red as sites that would be recommended you avoid)

(http://www NULL.rj-diamond NULL.com/alex/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/image21 NULL.png)

     In addition when visiting sites that could put you at risk you will see the following message

(http://www NULL.rj-diamond NULL.com/alex/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/image22 NULL.png)

     As already noted above, this is only an alert, this add-on with all of the browsers will still allow you to “Click here to continue to the page anyways”. That means that this program does not replace common sense, it is a tool to help you better chose but ultimately its still up to the user to use their own common sense. 

     Since I like giving real world examples to explain, here is how I explain Web of Trust.  Consider WOT like your house or car alarm. When you leave your house, you set your alarm, but because you set the alarm doesn’t mean you don’t lock your doors (At least I hope it doesn’t).  Consider your common sense as the looking of your door, if you don’t do it, your still at risk. 

Internet Explorer Add-On (LINK: http://www.mywot.com/en/download/ie (http://www NULL.mywot NULL.com/en/download/ie))

Firefox Add-On (LINK: http://www.mywot.com/en/download/ff (http://www NULL.mywot NULL.com/en/download/ff))

Opera Add-On (LINK: http://files.myopera.com/PH%60/UserJs/wot.js (http://files NULL.myopera NULL.com/PH%60/UserJs/wot NULL.js))