Anti-malware firm McAfee has released it annual Most Dangerous Celebrities list and daughter of rock musician Phil Collins actress Lily Collins is 2013’s most dangerous celeb to search for online. Ms. Collins has starred in such classic movies as “Mirror, Mirror” and “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” unseated “Harry Potter“ star Emma Watson who topped the list in 2012.
Rank Celebrity Risk %
1 Lily Collins 14.5
2 Avril Lavigne
12.7
3 Sandra Bullock
10.8
4 Kathy Griffin
10.6
5 Zoe Saldana
10.5
6 Katy Perry
10.4
7 Britney Spears
10.1
8 Jon Hamm
10.0
9 Adriana Lima
9.9
10 Emma Roberts 9.8
Female celebrities were the overwhelming lure to malware; “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm was the only man in the top 10. A person could be led to malware after doing a general search and clicking on dubious links, but risks increased when searchers added phrases like “free apps” or “nude photos.”
To better protect yourself on the web McAfee suggests:
- Be wary of links to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers
- Be extra cautious when searching on hot topics, which often lead to fake and malicious sites created by cyber-criminals
- Check the web address for misspellings or other clues that the link might lead to a phony website
- Protect yourself with comprehensive security, including a tool that identifies risky websites in search results
rb-
This is an annual thing from McAfee, but nobody pays attention. I covered Heidi Klum in 2010, Cameron Diaz in 2011, and Emma Watson in 2012.
Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.