Dangerous malware aimed at sports fans this summer

Criminals are capitalizing on a busy sports summer to fool people into clicking on soccer, golf and even paintball sites infested with malicious programs that can compromise privacy or worse, says a Czech Republic-based security software seller.

The sites are on what Prague-based Avast Software calls its monthly "Most Wanted" list. The World Cup, the LeBron James spectacle and baseball season are particular targets for search-engine gaming, the company says. Criminals seek to trick people into clicking on sites that seem to be legitimate -- or that are legitimate, but infected without the operator's knowledge -- so that malicious programs can be downloaded to personal computers.