CYBERSPACE — Beware the porn on YouTube. The video-sharing site is policed to ensure hardcore content doesn’t wind up on its pages, so any anonymous spammer who promises sexual goodies for free via YouTube should be suspicious from the get-go.More importantly, however, is a recent warning from anti-virus firm McAfee that scammers are luring the unwary to YouTube pages that redirect visitors to a malicious website containing a nasty payload.

Users are lured to the original pages by spam messages and forum postings that promise free porn videos. Once on the malicious secondary pages, their browsers are subjected to all sorts of exploit attempts, including a message telling them they need to download an updated codec in order to view the video.

McAfee researchers have linked the fake porn to other malware attacks promising U.S. election scandals and other current-events coverage. All of the malicious pages alter browser preferences and install a Trojan that tracks internet activity.