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This handy extension for Internet Explorer makes a great addition to your Web security arsenal. SiteAdvisor draws from an enormous database of Web sites that have been checked out for spyware threats, malicious cookies, and questionable marketing ploys.

Sitting quietly at the bottom of your browser, SiteAdvisor indicates the safety rating of your current site. Green is for safe sites, yellow for sites with some questionable practices, and red for particularly dangerous sites. The color-coded rating system also annotates your Google and Yahoo search results, providing advance warning of potential drive-by spyware installation and other dangers. An available online breakdown shows what kind of testing underpins the danger assessments. We also like the extensive site profiles with user ratings, which allow you to check out a site before risking a visit.

In some cases, SiteAdvisor errs on the side of caution, labeling sites as dangerous because of minor infractions, but these are few and far in between. This free extension is an obvious choice for IE users who want better Web security.