Information rich as it is, the internet can also be a dangerous place. You could unknowingly visit a malware spreading site, you could be tricked into visiting a phishing site, you could be tricked into downloading a virus onto your computer, and worse of all, you could be tricked to watch a Rick Astley video. All the other threats pale in comparison to the prospective of viewing Rick Astley perform “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

People with extreme malicious intent post a link that claims to be relevant to the subject. When the unsuspecting user clicks on it, he is taken to a webpage where he can view Rick Astley perform “Never Gonna Give You Up.” This is known as “Rickrolling”.

F-Secure, the Finland-based company that specializes in providing antivirus and security software solutions is well aware of all the security threats lurking about the internet – especially the Rick Astley one. People have been using Rickrolling to pull one on innocent computer users for far too long. F-Secure has decided to do something about it.

“Web security has become increasingly important over the last few years and we've already developed various protection mechanisms to keep our customers safe against exploits, phishing attacks, and drive-by-downloads. However, there's still more that we can do against some of the most sinister of attacks. In development for more than two years, we're now releasing completely new technology that will warn our customers whenever they click on a "Rickroll" link,” explained F-Secure’s Mikko Hypponen.

The name of the new feature is called F-Secure Rickroll Protector and it has been added to F-Secure’s Browsing Protection today, the 1st of April. According to Hypponen, Rickroll Protector “uses advanced image recognition analysis that monitors HTTP traffic for signs of bright red pompadours.”



Additional information on this feature is available here.