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Singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding replaces Kelly Brook as the most dangerous celebrity to search for online in the UK, says the IT security product firm McAfee. Now in its tenth year, the study involves researching popular cultureโs most famous people to reveal which of them generates the most dangerous search results. The ‘McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities’ study, published by Intel Security, suggested that searches for certain musicians and reality TV celebrities tend to expose internet searchers in the UK to more possible viruses and malware.
This is Ellie Gouldingโs first time in the list and by topping the poll, beating the likes of Charlotte Crosby (2), Rita Ora (3), Calvin Harris (4) and Geordie Shore star, Holly Hagan (5).
Cyber-criminals are always looking for ways to use consumersโ ongoing fascination around popular culture, whether that be from reality TV shows, album releases or celebrity break-ups, the IT security product firm said. In fact, the study found that more than one in 10 Brits (11 per cent) look at celebrity news or pictures online as many as four times a day. Yet, worryingly, nearly half of those surveyed (44 per cent) say they would click on a site without checking it was genuinely safe and over a third (36 per cent) admitted that they do not know what malware is.
Hackers capitalise on this interest around celebrities, and this lack of consumer awareness of the security risks online, by enticing unsuspecting consumers to sites laden with malware that can steal passwords and personal information.
Nick Viney, Consumer VP at Intel Security, said: โThe desire for consumers to stay up to date with the latest celebrity gossip can often make them unwittingly vulnerable to cybercrime. Many consumers are quick to click but do they actually stop and consider the potential risks this poses by doing so? Cybercriminals are keen to exploit this craving for real-time information on celebrities, and will lead consumers to sites that download harmful malware onto devices to ultimately steal an individualโs all important, and incredibly valuable, data. Itโs clear more needs to be done to help consumers understand the threats online and what precautions they need to take to ensure their data, is kept safe when searching for celebrity news.โ
People looking to download free music may be especially at risk. Celebrity names combined with the terms โfree MP4โ, โHD downloads,โ or โtorrentโ are some of the most searched terms on the internet and when consumers search for music that is not made available through legitimate channels, they put both their digital lives and devices at risk. Searching for the new releases from the likes of Ellie Goulding, Calvin Harris and Rita Ora could, therefore, be putting consumers in danger.
Consumers are now, more than ever, streaming videos, TV shows and movies online. As file sharing and torrent use continues to grow in popularity, itโs no surprise that TV stars are a target for cybercriminals seeking to create malicious files. This desire to stay up to date with the latest developments in reality shows such as Geordie Shore is evidenced by two of the stars from the show, Charlotte Crosby and Holly Hagan, featuring in the top five most dangerous celebrities in the UK.
Read also a blog post from Gary Davis: https://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/most-dangerous-celebrities-2016.
