14 DAY TRIAL // Security company McAfee made public its recent annual report on celebrity-related Internet malware threats. This year, due to a highly publicized relationship with singer Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel has snatched the number one spot on the list from R&B singer Beyonce. Last year's top threat, Brad Pitt, has dropped down to the number ten spot in favor of more recent media actively stars, including his former wife Jennifer Anniston, and his current life partner Angelina Jolie.
The report shows that 50% of all Internet users searching for Jessica Biel on the net are likely to click, download or get infected with some kind of form of malware, adware, spyware and other potential viruses. The most dangerous search query seems to be “Jessica Biel screensavers” that consistently returns infections in over 50% of the results.
Over-exposed celebrity couples like New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (#4) and Gisele Bundchen (#6) or Brad Pitt (#10) and Angelina Jolie (#8) have found their way in the top ten as well, proving that not only hackers don't make viruses, the media does that too.
Megan Fox has been openly admitting that she's grown tired out of hearing people comparing her with Angelina Jolie. Not surprisingly, they're both tied for the number eight position. See, Megan, not even viruses can tell you apart!
After invading numerous magazines, TV shows and movie screens, young Hollywood newcomers are now invading personal computers. Recent found celebrities like Robert Pattison, Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale or Taylor Swift have found followers and fans inside hacker ranks, loyal enough to patch their name to some malware products.
To the surprise of many, these little celebrity “n00bs” have managed to knock down older veterans like Lindsay Lohan, the Jonas Brothers and the Obama family. A big surprise to all were the #34 and #38 positions occupied by Barack and Michele Obama, personalities that rank at the top of spam mail subjects alongside Michael Jackson and Viagra pills.
“Cybercriminals are star watchers too – they latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise,” said Jeff Green, senior VP of McAfee Avert Labs. “Consumers’ obsession with celebrity news and culture is harmless in theory, but one bad download can cause a lot of damage to a computer.”
When compiling this list, McAfee used its product McAfee SiteAdviser, a security service that inspects, scans and rates websites for any kind of malware or virus present in its pages. The rest of the list can be found in the original press release.