Jessica Biel Searches Deemed Most DangerousJessica Biel Searches Deemed Most Dangerous
Searching for celebrities may be one of the most effective ways to infect your computer.
August 25, 2009

In its third annual list of the most dangerous celebrities in cyberspace, McAfee has found that 20% of searches for "Jessica Biel," "Jessica Biel downloads," Jessica Biel photos" and the like lead to Web sites where malicious content has been detected.
The company defines malicious content as spyware, adware, spam, viruses, or phishing mechanisms. Visiting sites hosting such content, particularly using a computer with software that hasn't been updated to the latest version, can often result in that computer being compromised.
Cybercriminals know that celebrities and popular news generate significant interest among Internet users and thus try to place malware at sites where visitors might seek that sort of information. When such sites prove secure, they will create their own sites with malicious content or post malicious content though a user content submission mechanism and then create spam messages and external Web links to drive search traffic to their trapped sites.
"Cybercriminals are star watchers too -- they latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise," said Jeff Green, SVP of McAfee Avert Labs, in a statement. "Consumers' obsession with celebrity news and culture is harmless in theory, but one bad download can cause a lot of damage to a computer."
McAfee's list of the top ten most dangerous celebrity searches includes:
Read more about:
2009About the Author(s)
Hacking Your Digital Identity: How Cybercriminals Can and Will Get Around Your Authentication Methods
Oct 26, 2023Modern Supply Chain Security: Integrated, Interconnected, and Context-Driven
Nov 06, 2023How to Combat the Latest Cloud Security Threats
Nov 06, 2023Reducing Cyber Risk in Enterprise Email Systems: It's Not Just Spam and Phishing
Nov 01, 2023SecOps & DevSecOps in the Cloud
Nov 06, 2023