Be careful which celebrities you search on the Web.
Security technology company McAfee Inc. (mcafee.com) on Tuesday reported which celeb searches will most likely lead to online threats such as spyware and viruses, with Jessica Biel coming in at No. 1.
Search “Jessica Biel downloads,” “Jessica Biel wallpaper” or “Jessica Biel screen savers,” for instance, and you have a one-in-five chance of ending up on a site designed to damage your computer, McAfee says.
Biel overtook last year’s “most dangerous celebrity,” Brad Pitt, in the firm’s third annual report on the subject. Pop singer Beyonce was No. 2 for a second straight year, while Pitt’s ex, Jennifer Aniston, checked in at No. 3.
Searches for younger stars can also be vulnerable. Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale and Lindsay Lohan made this year’s Top 15, while Heidi Montag and Jessica Alba fell out.
“Cybercriminals are star watchers too,” said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee’s product development. “They latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise.”
However, McAfee noted that Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are curiously “safe” searches, ranking No. 34 and No. 39, respectively.
Apparently even most cybercriminals know better than to mess with the president.
