NEW YORK (Reuters) - Looking for information about Brad Pitt or Beyonce on the Web? It could be risky.
An internet security firm has dubbed the actor and singer the most
dangerous celebrities to search for on the Internet because
cybercriminals use their names to lure victims.
California-based McAfee Inc. said fans searching for information and
pictures of Pitt, or downloads, wallpaper and screen savers, have an 18
percent chance of having their PCs infected with a virus, spyware,
spam, phishing and adware.
"Cybercriminals 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," explained
Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee's Product Development &
Avert Labs.
"Tapping into current events, pop culture or commonly browsed sites is an easy way to achieve this," he added in a statement.
Web surfers looking for celebrity gossip, screen savers and
ringtones are often directed to fake Internet sites that look
legitimate but pose a risk to the security of their computers,
according to the company.
Pitt and singer Justin Timberlake are the most dangerous men to
search for on the Internet, while Beyonce and Heidi Montag, the star of
the reality television show "The Hills", top the list for women.
Other celebrities on McAfee's most dangerous list include singers
Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Fergie and film stars Angelina Jolie, Jessica
Alba, Cameron Diaz and George Clooney.
Green said Americans' obsession with following celebrities' lifestyles make them obvious targets.
"We have to take precautions in casually navigating the Web since
many subtle sites may be rife with malware for consumers' computers,"
he said, referring to software designed to infiltrate computer software
without the consent of the owner.
Malware includes viruses, worms and spyware, which are computer
programs that report back to a third party a user's activity and
Web-surfing habits.
The reasons for planting spyware range from simple marketing
purposes to more serious things like stealing files or passwords used
to access sensitive financial information.
Celebrity searchers can also be used for phishing, an attempt to get
sensitive information by masquerading as an entity that is known to be
reputable.
Searches for soccer star David Beckham and actresses Katie Holmes,
Lindsay Lohan and Katherine Heigl are also risky and have a good chance
of infecting computers, the company said.
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