McAfee SiteAdvisor software is an award-winning, free browser plug-in (download here (5.67 MB)) that gives advice about websites before user click on a risky site.It adds small site rating icons to search results as well as a browser button and optional search box to alert users to potentially risky sites.The SiteAdvisor technology is free, easy to install and even easier to use. And it doesn't collect any personally identifiable information. It is fully compatible with IE as well as firefox.
What Is a SiteAdvisor Site Rating?
McAfee SiteAdvisor tests sites for downloads, browser exploits, e-mail, phishing, e-commerce, pop-ups and cookies and affiliations with other sites.Site ratings are presented to users in the form of colored icons. These are
SAFE: Very low or no risk issues.
CAUTION: Minor risk issues.
WARNING: Serious risk issues.
UNKNOWN: Not yet rated. Use caution.
- Downloads: McAfee SiteAdvisor tests downloadable software that is hosted by and directly linked to from a site. McAfee anti-virus engine is used to determine if the file includes any malware.
- E-mail practices: It tests sites for e-mail practices by entering a valid, unique personal e-mail address into a site's e-mail form. Then it measures any mail that is received at this unique address. Mail received is tested for commercial content, as well as the presence of tricks used by spammers to try to escape detection by spam filters.
- Browser exploits: McAfee SiteAdvisor tests site to detect the presence of exploits.
- Annoyances: McAfee SiteAdvisor records how many pop-ups occur, how many cookies are received, prompts to change a browser's home page and search page settings.The presence or cookies is noted only. Cookies do not affect a site's score.
- E-Commerce: Site is tested for phishing and scams.
- Links (online affiliations): Information about the URL links posted on a site to determine whether the site is affiliated or effectively directing traffic to another site.
When you display the McAfee Secure certification mark, you not only increase sales by increasing shopper confidence, you build your brand with the security seal seen on more top sites than any other.
Site Advisor is a free service. It will take about 6-8 weeks before your site is rated green, yellow, or red. This is a very basic scan that looks for spyware, adware, malware, etc. There is no obligation to use McAfee antivirus product. It also does not certify that your site is a secure site. You do not get a listing in our merchant directory.
McAfee Secure Certification:This is a daily scan service so we need to pay for this. This scan is very detailed and will scan website all the way into the web application layer. We can then post McAfee Trustmark on website after passing out certification requirements. With every domain you have certified McAfee Secure, you get a listing in our Merchant Directory. If you purchase McAfee Secure, we can expedite the Site Advisor rating to about 2 weeks.
How to add website?
- Open McAfee SiteAdvisor homepage.
- Enter your site URL in 'View a Site Report' box and press enter.
- Next page will tell 'No results found for yoursite.com'. Enter the site URL again in field and click 'Submit domain for review'.
- Click on the back link on next page.
- Next page shows- 'We've tested millions of websites, but we haven't tested this one yet. Be the first one to submit feedback on it! Are you the owner of this site? Leave a comment'. Click on Leave a comment.
- It will prompt for registration. Register with email id. A mail providing confirmation link will appear. Click on confirmation link.
- Log in your account and add your website URL by issuing new owner request. Request varification file and create an empty file in root directory of your website.
- Click on verify to verify the site.
- Your site will be checked and added to secure directory if passed the test.
- As blogger does not allow to open an ftp connection till you buy your own domain name, it is not possible to open an ftp connection create a html file.
- Suppose file to be created has a name
'compupodia.blogspot.com71f6c6e04d5c2a4da76e7c0c26aa207e202d6909.html'
then create a new post with title
'compupodia.blogspot.com71f6c6e04d5c2a4da76e7c0c26aa207e202d6909'
and empty body. Save it as draft. - Verify the ownership.
Awards won by McAfee SiteAdvisor:
- Time magazine named SiteAdvisor.com among the 50 coolest websites of 2006
- Popular Science awarded SiteAdvisor the "Best of What's New" award in the Computing category for 2006
- PC World ranked SiteAdvisor 15 th in "The 100 Best Products of 2007".