Top 10 Most Dangerous Celebrities of the Year (according to Intel Security)
Intel Security’s annual Most Dangerous Celebrities list is out. Now in its 10th year, the list presents the top 10 celebrities who are having their fame put to malicious use. Cybercriminals are using their star appeal to lure curios fans towards malicious websites, exposing them to viruses and malware.
“Consumers today remain fascinated with celebrity culture and go online to find the latest pop culture news,” said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at Intel Security. “With this craving for real-time information, many search and click without considering potential security risks. Cybercriminals know this and take advantage of this behavior by attempting to lead them to unsafe sites loaded with malware. As a result, consumers need to understand what precautions to take to enable safe online experiences.”
Cybercriminals always do this sort of thing
The media latches onto hot topics because they know they’ll get views and clicks. It’s in their interest to present news that appeal to a wide audience. Cybercriminals also want to draw in the crowds. So they also latch onto anything that has the potential to lure you in. Trending topics, hot news, popular celebrities.
Intel Security has been studying this phenomenon for a decade now. Each year, the security company puts out a list that presents the top 10 most dangerous celebrities. These are the 10 celebrities with the most dangerous search results this year.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Celebrities of 2016
10. Kesha
9. Selena Gomez (ranked #14 last year)
8. Daniel Tosh
7. Chris Hardwick
6. Miley Cyrus (tied at #19 with Afrojack back in 2015)
5. Rihanna (ranked #12 a year ago)
4. Will Smith
3. Carson Daly
2. Justin Bieber (ranked #11 in 2015)
1. Amy Schumer (ranked #7 a year ago)
Number 1 on last year's list of dangerous celebrities was Dutch trance music producer, DJ and radio personality, Armin Van Buren. This year’s most dangerous celebrity is Amy Schumer. Which comes as no surprise, according to Chief Consumer Security Evangelist with Intel Security, Gary Davis.
"The top spot isn’t that surprising," says Davis. "Cybercriminals are after people’s attention. Anybody following Amy Schumer’s career knows the comedian’s recent rise to fame. Her comedy series Inside Amy Schumer is the winner of a Peabody award, her memoir 'The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo' was released in August, and she’s currently on her first world tour. Simply put: people can’t get enough of her sassy jokes, making her a prime target for cybercriminals who want to capitalize on her popularity."
Intel Security’s tips on how to stay safe
Don’t click on a link that takes you to a website you know nothing about. If you’re looking for an Inside Amy Schumer episode for example, get it from Comedy Central or from a trusted streaming service. Try to stick with well-known, reputable websites.
Adding "torrent" to a search query ups the risk factor. Searching for "Amy Schumer" results in a 16.11% chance of landing on a malicious website. Add "torrent" to the query and the risk factor jumps to 33%.
Security software can help keep you safe – obviously. As always, Intel Security recommends McAfee WebAdvisor, a security solution that can protect against malicious websites and browser exploits.
Why does Intel Security recommend a McAfee product?
Back in 2010, Intel paid $7.68 billion to purchase McAfee. In 2011, McAfee became a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel. In 2014, Intel decided to rebrand the security company as Intel Security, planning to phase out the name McAfee. But in September 2016, Intel announced that it sold its majority stake in Intel Security to TPG, a leading global alternative asset firm. Intel and TPG establish a newly formed, jointly-owned, independent cybersecurity company that will be named McAfee.
“Consumers today remain fascinated with celebrity culture and go online to find the latest pop culture news,” said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at Intel Security. “With this craving for real-time information, many search and click without considering potential security risks. Cybercriminals know this and take advantage of this behavior by attempting to lead them to unsafe sites loaded with malware. As a result, consumers need to understand what precautions to take to enable safe online experiences.”
Cybercriminals always do this sort of thing
The media latches onto hot topics because they know they’ll get views and clicks. It’s in their interest to present news that appeal to a wide audience. Cybercriminals also want to draw in the crowds. So they also latch onto anything that has the potential to lure you in. Trending topics, hot news, popular celebrities.
Intel Security has been studying this phenomenon for a decade now. Each year, the security company puts out a list that presents the top 10 most dangerous celebrities. These are the 10 celebrities with the most dangerous search results this year.
Top 10 Most Dangerous Celebrities of 2016
10. Kesha
9. Selena Gomez (ranked #14 last year)
8. Daniel Tosh
7. Chris Hardwick
6. Miley Cyrus (tied at #19 with Afrojack back in 2015)
5. Rihanna (ranked #12 a year ago)
4. Will Smith
3. Carson Daly
2. Justin Bieber (ranked #11 in 2015)
1. Amy Schumer (ranked #7 a year ago)
Number 1 on last year's list of dangerous celebrities was Dutch trance music producer, DJ and radio personality, Armin Van Buren. This year’s most dangerous celebrity is Amy Schumer. Which comes as no surprise, according to Chief Consumer Security Evangelist with Intel Security, Gary Davis.
"The top spot isn’t that surprising," says Davis. "Cybercriminals are after people’s attention. Anybody following Amy Schumer’s career knows the comedian’s recent rise to fame. Her comedy series Inside Amy Schumer is the winner of a Peabody award, her memoir 'The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo' was released in August, and she’s currently on her first world tour. Simply put: people can’t get enough of her sassy jokes, making her a prime target for cybercriminals who want to capitalize on her popularity."
Intel Security’s tips on how to stay safe
Don’t click on a link that takes you to a website you know nothing about. If you’re looking for an Inside Amy Schumer episode for example, get it from Comedy Central or from a trusted streaming service. Try to stick with well-known, reputable websites.
Adding "torrent" to a search query ups the risk factor. Searching for "Amy Schumer" results in a 16.11% chance of landing on a malicious website. Add "torrent" to the query and the risk factor jumps to 33%.
Security software can help keep you safe – obviously. As always, Intel Security recommends McAfee WebAdvisor, a security solution that can protect against malicious websites and browser exploits.
Why does Intel Security recommend a McAfee product?
Back in 2010, Intel paid $7.68 billion to purchase McAfee. In 2011, McAfee became a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel. In 2014, Intel decided to rebrand the security company as Intel Security, planning to phase out the name McAfee. But in September 2016, Intel announced that it sold its majority stake in Intel Security to TPG, a leading global alternative asset firm. Intel and TPG establish a newly formed, jointly-owned, independent cybersecurity company that will be named McAfee.
