Comedians, Musicians and TV Hosts Rank Highly on the 10th Annual Most
Dangerous Celebrities List
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
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Comedian and actress Amy Schumer ranked No. 1 on the McAfee Most
Dangerous Celebrities™ 2016 study.
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Now in its 10th year, the study reveals which celebrities, musicians
and TV hosts generate the most dangerous search results, potentially
exposing consumers to malware.
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Celebrities in the top 10 include Justin Bieber, Carson Daly, Will
Smith, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and more.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- (Business Wire)
Female comedian superstar Amy Schumer knocked electronic dance music
(EDM) DJ Armin van Buuren off of the list to become the most dangerous
celebrity to search for online, according to Intel Security. Now in its
10th year, the McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities™ study,
published by Intel Security, researched a broad list of well-known
figures including actors, comedians, musicians, TV hosts, athletes and
more. This research uncovers which celebrities generate the most
dangerous search results that could expose fans to viruses and malware
while searching for the latest information on today’s pop culture icons.
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Savvy cybercriminals continue to leverage consumers’ fascination with celebrity news to entice unsuspecting fans to visit sites loaded with malware that can steal passwords and personal information. (Graphic: Business Wire)
Amy Schumer is considered to be one of the most popular female comedians
who is also known for her work as a writer, actress and producer. Now
Schumer can add “first female comedian to take the No.1 spot on the
McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities™ study” to her list of achievements.
Justin Bieber came in hot on her heels at No. 2, followed by “Today” and
“The Voice” host Carson Daly (No. 3). Schumer is also accompanied by
comedian peers in the top 10 with Chris Hardwick (No. 7) and Daniel Tosh
(No. 8). Former rapper turned Hollywood A-lister Will Smith is joined by
chart-topping musicians such as Rihanna (No. 5), Miley Cyrus (No. 6),
Selena Gomez (No. 9) and Kesha (No. 10), rounding out the top 10 list.
Savvy cybercriminals continue to leverage consumers’ ongoing fascination
with celebrity news – such as award and TV shows as well as movie
premieres, album releases, celebrity breakups and more – to entice
unsuspecting fans to visit sites loaded with malware that can steal
passwords and personal information. The study conducted by Intel
Security highlights the various ways hackers can take advantage of
consumers’ interest around pop culture news, the risks of their online
behavior and how to best protect themselves from potential threats.
“Consumers today remain fascinated with celebrity culture and go online
to find the latest pop culture news,” said Gary Davis, chief consumer
security evangelist at Intel Security. “With this craving for real-time
information, many search and click without considering potential
security risks. Cybercriminals know this and take advantage of this
behavior by attempting to lead them to unsafe sites loaded with malware.
As a result, consumers need to understand what precautions to take to
enable safe online experiences.”
A Search for ‘Amy Schumer Torrent’ Results in a 33 Percent Chance of
Connecting to a Malicious Website
Amy Schumer topping the list highlights the trend of more people looking
to “cut the cord” and move away from cable TV. Consumers are now, more
than ever, streaming videos, TV shows and movies online. As file sharing
and torrent use continues to grow in popularity, it’s no surprise that
TV and movies are a target for cybercriminals seeking to create
malicious files.
The top 10 celebrities from this year’s study with the highest risk
percentages include:
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Position |
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| Celebrity |
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| Percentage |
1 |
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| Amy Schumer |
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| 16.11% |
2 |
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| Justin Bieber |
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| 15.00% |
3 |
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| Carson Daly |
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| 13.44% |
4 |
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| Will Smith |
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| 13.44% |
5 |
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| Rihanna |
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| 13.33% |
6 |
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| Miley Cyrus |
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| 12.67% |
7 |
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| Chris Hardwick |
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| 12.56% |
8 |
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| Daniel Tosh |
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| 11.56% |
9 |
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| Selena Gomez |
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| 11.11% |
10 |
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| Kesha |
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| 11.11% |
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Crowded with Comedians
Kicking off her world tour this fall, comedian Amy Schumer tops the list
as the Most Dangerous Celebrity – coming in at No. 1. Chris Hardwick
(No. 7) of “Funcomfortable” fame and Daniel Tosh (No. 8) were also among
the top 10, while Nikki Glaser (No. 15) and Kevin Hart (No. 25) made the
top 25. Other funny females to make the list include: Grace Helbig (No.
26), Mindy Kaling (No. 30), Kristen Wiig (No. 52), Chelsea Handler (No.
54) and Ellen DeGeneres (No. 57).
Musicians Top the Charts
This year’s riskiest celebrities included some of the most sensational,
chart-topping pop artists such as Justin Bieber (No. 2), Rihanna (No.
5), Miley Cyrus (No. 6), Selena Gomez (No. 9) and Kesha (10). Pop, rap,
hip-hop and a bit of country were represented by Drake (No. 13), Katy
Perry (No. 14), Jason Aldean (No. 16), Justin Timberlake (No. 17),
Jennifer Lopez (No. 18), Lady Gaga (No. 19), Nicki Minaj (No. 20), Iggy
Azalea (No. 27), Beyoncé (No. 28) and Usher (No. 29) as they rounded out
the top 30.
Late Night TV Shows
“Today” show anchor and “The Voice” host Carson Daly is the third Most
Dangerous Celebrity, while late night hosts Seth Meyers (No. 11) and
Conan O’Brien (No. 12) cracked the top 15. Host James Corden, widely
known for his popular “Carpool Karaoke,” landed at No. 23, followed by
John Oliver at No. 24 and Jimmy Kimmel at No. 32 – previously No. 1 in
2014 and No. 26 in 2015. Bill Maher rounds out the list at No. 34.
‘The Voice’ Coaches Make the Cut
Three of the four celebrity coaches on “The Voice” this season, along
with the host, are all in the top 50. Miley Cyrus leads the pack (No.
6), followed by Adam Levine (No. 41) and Blake Shelton (No. 66), as well
as his girlfriend and rotating coach Gwen Stefani (No. 49). Blake
Shelton’s fellow country superstars Jason Aldean (No. 16) and Luke Bryan
(No. 39) are not far behind.
How to Search Safely
- Think before you click! Are you looking for the latest episode
of Amy Schumer’s TV show, “Inside Amy Schumer”? Don’t click on that
third-party link. Instead, get your content directly from the original
source at comedycentral.com to ensure you aren’t clicking on anything
that could be malicious.
- Use caution when searching for “torrent.” This term is by far the
riskiest search term. Cybercriminals can use torrents to embed
malware within authentic files making it difficult to determine if a
file is safe. It’s best to avoid using torrents especially when there
are so many legitimate streaming options available.
- Keep your personal information personal. Cybercriminals are
always looking for ways to steal your personal information. If you
receive a request to enter information like your credit card, email,
home address or social media login don’t give it out thoughtlessly. Do
your research and ensure it’s not a phishing or scam attempt that
could lead to identity theft
- Browse safely using protection like McAfee® WebAdvisor software. WebAdvisor
will help keep you safe from malicious websites by helping to identify
potentially risky sites. A complimentary version of the software can
be downloaded at www.mcafee.com/mcafeewebadvisor
- Use cross device protection. Consumers need to protect all
facets of their digital lives regardless of where they are, what
device they use or where they store their personal data. Use solutions
that work across all your devices to deliver protection against
threats, such as malware, hacking and phishing attacks.
Find More Information:
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To learn more about the study, check out:
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Web surfers can also visit the Intel Security Facebook page at www.facebook.com/intelsecurity
and McAfee
Security Advice Center for information on the latest consumer
threats and tips for living safe online.
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If you do decide to search for information on a major event or
celebrity in the news, make sure your entire household’s devices have
protection, such as McAfee
LiveSafe™ service, which helps protect most PCs, Macs and tablets
and smartphones. It also includes malware detection software, McAfee®
Mobile Security, to better protect your smartphone or tablet from
many types of malware.
Survey Methodology
Intel Security conducted the study using McAfee®
WebAdvisor site ratings to determine the number of risky sites
generated by searches, on Google*, Bing* and Yahoo!*, that included a
celebrity name and commonly searched terms (noted below) likely to yield
malware. From that, an overall risk percentage was calculated for each
celebrity. “Most dangerous” means that these celebrities are likely
popular search subjects.
McAfee SiteAdvisor technology helps protect users from malicious
websites and browser exploits. SiteAdvisor technology tests and rates
nearly every internet website it finds, and uses red, yellow and green
icons to indicate the website’s risk level. Ratings are created by using
patented advanced technology to conduct automated website tests and
works with Internet Explorer*, Chrome* and Firefox*. Search terms
included:
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“Celeb name + Torrent”
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“Celeb name + Free MP4”
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“Celeb name + HD download”
The results indicated the percentage of risk of running into online
threats – if a user clicked all the results generated by the terms. Fans
clicking on sites deemed risky and downloading files including photos
and videos from those sites may also be prone to downloading viruses and
malware.
About Intel Security
Intel Security, with its McAfee product line, is dedicated to making the
digital world safer and more secure for everyone. Intel Security is a
division of Intel Corporation. Learn more at www.intelsecurity.com.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the
United States and other countries.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
No computer system can be absolutely secure.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160927006770/en/
Contacts:
Intel Corporation
Mary Salvaggio, 646-527-5858
mary.salvaggio@intel.com
or
Ashley
Dolezal, 650-801-0931
ashley.dolezal@zenogroup.com
Source: Intel Corporation
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