SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Actress Ruby Rose replaced singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne as the most dangerous celebrity to search for online. For the twelfth year in a row McAfee researched famous individuals to reveal the riskiest celebrity to search for online. The research reveals which celebrities generate the riskiest search results that could potentially expose their fans to malicious websites.
From model and MTV VJ to Batwoman, Ruby Rose’s acting career took off in 2015 when she was cast as Stella Carlin in the Netflix series, Orange is the New Black. Now Rose can add “first Australian to take the top spot on the McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities study” to her list of accomplishments. Reality TV star, Kristin Cavallari finished behind Rose at No. 2, followed by actress Marion Cotillard (No. 3), the original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter (No. 4), actress Rose Byrne (No. 5), star of Will and Grace Debra Messing (No. 6), reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian (No. 7), actress Amber Heard (No. 8), morning TV show host Kelly Ripa (No. 9), and finally actor Brad William Henke round out the top 10.
It’s no secret that cybercriminals attempt to use the allure of celebrity to trick unsuspecting consumers into visiting malicious websites that can be used to install malware or steal personal information and passwords. The study, conducted by McAfee, highlights the dangers of clicking on suspicious links when searching for celebrity-focused content.
“We live in a fast-paced world that’s heavily influenced by pop culture where it’s possible to pick and choose which entertainment options we prefer to enjoy from a variety of connected devices,” said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at McAfee. “Often consumers put speed and convenience over security by clicking on suspicious links that promise content featuring our favorite celebrities, such as our favorite movies, TV shows or pictures. In our hyper-connected world, it’s important for consumers to think before they click to be sure that they are landing on safe digital content and protecting themselves from cybersecurity threats that may be used to infect their devices or steal their identity.”
The top 10 celebrities from this year’s study are:
| Position | Celebrity | |
| 1 | Ruby Rose | |
| 2 | Kristin Cavallari | |
| 3 | Marion Cotillard | |
| 4 | Lynda Carter | |
| 5 | Rose Byrne | |
| 6 | Debra Messing | |
| 7 | Kourtney Kardashian | |
| 8 | Amber Heard | |
| 9 | Kelly Ripa | |
| 10 | Brad William Henke | |
The Kardashians Can’t Keep up with Kourtney
While Kourtney Kardashian may have been trying to put some distance between herself and her family in real life, she definitely accomplished that on this year’s list of most dangerous celebrities. Caitlyn Jenner (No. 13) finished closest to the top ten followed by Kim Kardashian (No. 19), Rob Kardashian (No. 62), Khloe Kardashian (No. 91), Kendall Jenner (No. 138), Kylie Jenner (No. 152) and Kris Jenner (No. 158).
Musicians Don’t Strike the Right Chord
Unlike 2017’s list of most dangerous celebrities, musicians ranked low on this year’s list. Adele was the highest ranked musician at No. 21 followed by Shakira (No. 27), 2017’s top celebrity Avril Lavigne (No. 30), Lady Gaga (No. 35), Kehlani (No. 47), Britney Spears (No. 57), Ed Sheeran (No. 74) and Diddy, who finished at No. 9 in 2017, fell to No. 76.
How to Search Safely
- Be careful what you click. Users looking for a sneak-peek of the CW series, Batwoman starring Ruby Rose should be cautious and only download directly from a reliable source. The safest thing to do is to wait for the official release instead of visiting a third-party website that could contain malware.
- Apply system and application updates as soon as they are available. Very often the operating system and application updates include security fixes. Applying updates is an important step to help ensure devices stay protected.
- Browse with security protection. McAfee Total Protection is a comprehensive security solution that can help keep devices protected against malware, phishing attacks, and other threats. It includes McAfee WebAdvisor which can help protect against going to malicious websites.
- Use parental control software. Kids are fans of celebrities too, so ensure that limits are set on the child’s device and use software that can help minimize exposure to potentially malicious or inappropriate websites.
For More Information:
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To learn more about the study, check out:
- Blog post from Gary Davis: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/consumer/consumer-threat-notices/most-dangerous-celebrities-2018/
- Twitter: Follow @McAfee_Home for online safety tips, and use the hashtag #RiskyCeleb to discuss the Most Dangerous Celebrities of 2018
Survey Methodology
McAfee utilized the Google API Console to search for popular mobile, PC and platform games coupled with search modifying terms (e.g. celebrity + torrent). “Most dangerous” really means that these celebrities are likely popular search subjects.
Search terms used this year:
- Torrent
- Free torrent
- Sex tape
- Free pics
Using McAfee WebAdvisor data, resulting domains and URLs were measured and assigned a risk of “high,” “medium” and “unverified.” URLs were then given a score between negative 127 and positive 127 with higher scores indicating a riskier website. The score was calculated using the following formula:
Danger = 1*(high count) + 0.5*(medium count) + 0.1*(unverified count)
About McAfee
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