Searching for one of your favourite celebrities on cyberspace could lead you into a bottomless pit of viruses and mishaps. According to McAfee, the Internet security company, Brad Pitt is the new winner for this year's most dangerous celebrity to search for.
When fans search for "Brad Pitt" and they try to download wallpaper, screensavers and pictures of him, there is an 18 per cent risk that fans can have their PCs assaulted by online threats such as spam, phishing, adware, spyware and other viruses.
What cyber criminals do is they use the top Hollywood celebrities' names and images to lure users in to their fake website while making it look like a legitimate fan site.
Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee's Product and Development and Avert Labs, says that even checking out the latest events on pop culture sites is an easy way of getting a digital infection.
"Cyber criminals employ numerous methods, yet one of the simplest but most effective ways is to trick consumers into infecting themselves by capitalizing on Americans' interest in celebrity gossip," said Green. "We have to take precautions in casually navigating the web since many subtle sites may be rife with malware for consumers' computers."
Most cyber criminals are detected through the McAfee SiteAdvisor. On a continued basis the SiteAdvisor tests and rates nearly every trafficked site on the Internet. Site ratings are created using patented advanced technology to conduct automated website tests. Users can also give feedback to McAfee analysts and other users about their personal experiences on Internet sites.
So, take serious precaution when browsing for online gossip on your favourite celebrity. Here are the top five most dangerous to search for: actor Brad Pitt, singer and actor Beyonce, singer and actor Justin Timberlake, The Hills actress Heidi Montag and singer Mariah Carey.
For more information and advice from McAfee SiteAdvisor, go to www.mcafee.com/siteadvisor.
When fans search for "Brad Pitt" and they try to download wallpaper, screensavers and pictures of him, there is an 18 per cent risk that fans can have their PCs assaulted by online threats such as spam, phishing, adware, spyware and other viruses.
What cyber criminals do is they use the top Hollywood celebrities' names and images to lure users in to their fake website while making it look like a legitimate fan site.
Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee's Product and Development and Avert Labs, says that even checking out the latest events on pop culture sites is an easy way of getting a digital infection.
"Cyber criminals employ numerous methods, yet one of the simplest but most effective ways is to trick consumers into infecting themselves by capitalizing on Americans' interest in celebrity gossip," said Green. "We have to take precautions in casually navigating the web since many subtle sites may be rife with malware for consumers' computers."
Most cyber criminals are detected through the McAfee SiteAdvisor. On a continued basis the SiteAdvisor tests and rates nearly every trafficked site on the Internet. Site ratings are created using patented advanced technology to conduct automated website tests. Users can also give feedback to McAfee analysts and other users about their personal experiences on Internet sites.
So, take serious precaution when browsing for online gossip on your favourite celebrity. Here are the top five most dangerous to search for: actor Brad Pitt, singer and actor Beyonce, singer and actor Justin Timberlake, The Hills actress Heidi Montag and singer Mariah Carey.
For more information and advice from McAfee SiteAdvisor, go to www.mcafee.com/siteadvisor.
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