SearchScan, which is currently in beta phase, uses McAfee SiteAdvisor technology to alert users of sites with security concerns such as spyware, adware and other malicious software that can infect and damage a user's PC.
Sites that may harm the user's computer just by visiting them will not appear in Yahoo!'s search results and potentially risky sites with be flagged with a red warning sign, allowing users to proceed with caution.
The service also identifies sites that have shown bad email practices, flooding user in-boxes with spam emails.
Vish Makhijani, senior vice president and general manager of Yahoo! Search, said: "The new SearchScan feature from Yahoo! Search makes searching the web even safer than ever before.
"No other search engine today offers this level of warning before visiting sites that can damage or infect a user's PC and cost them valuable time and money."
The McAfee Yahoo! partnership is a multi-year, global agreement with additional elements, including bringing Yahoo! Search to McAfee users in the next few months.
Tim Dowling, McAfee vice president of Web Security Group, said: "The advance warning offered by McAfee SiteAdvisor is one of the strongest weapons in the battle against online threats. Research indicates that four out of five website visits start with a search, and consumers who use Yahoo! Search will now be alerted to high-risk websites."
SearchScan is available for Yahoo! Search users in the US, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Spain.
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