Your online search for certain mental health terms may unexpectedly lead to malware, according to new research by Beyond Identity. The study analyzed high-volume mental health search terms and found that many of them carry an elevated risk of encountering links that can steal data or damage devices. While the term “meditation music” yielded links with critical risk, all other assessed phrases were considered medium risk or greater. Beyond Identity urged caution when searching for “meditation music,” “psychiatrist near me,” and “virtual therapy,” as nearly a third of top links in those categories had an elevated risk of malware. The research highlights the aggressive exploitation of people’s interest in mental health resources by bad actors.
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