SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING RISK OF SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS

Embodiments of the present invention include a computer-controlled method of determining the risk of results of a search engine query before presentation to a client. In one embodiment of the invention, the method comprises accessing the results of the search engine query at a server side and scanning the results for software developed to harm a computer system, e.g., virus software, malware, etc. The method further includes determining a risk ranking associated with accessing one or more of the results and returning the results and the associated risk to a client, e.g., in a web page result display. Results exceeding a client specified threshold may be eliminated from the results display.