Jimmy Kimmel tops McAfee list of 'Most Dangerous' online celebrities
Comedian Jimmy Kimmel has been crowned the web’s most malware-laden celebrity, posing online security threats to web-browsers all over the world, according to a report from McAfee.
Kimmel, host of US show Jimmy Kimmel Live
Using the McAfee SiteAdvisor website rater, the report found that web links leading to Jimmy Kimmel videos, mp3s and torrent files were the most dangerous to computers as almost a fifth of web links containing the celeb’s name contained spyware, adware, spam, viruses or malware.
Following the comedian was a slew of musicians, who are reportedly of particular value to hackers as web users are often tricked into download harmful files under the guise of the artists' latest songs.
Armin van Buuren, Ciara, Flo Rida and Bruce Springstein populated the world’s top five most dangerous web celebs. Christina Aguilera also proved to be ‘Dirty’ coming in tenth place.
Cheryl Cole, now Cheryl Fernandez Versini, was deemed to be the UK’s most prominent risk.
Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at McAfee, said: “Most consumers are completely unaware of the security risks that exist when searching for celebrity and entertainment news, images and videos online, sacrificing safety for immediacy.
“Cybercriminals capitalise on consumers’ attention to breaking celebrity news and leverage this behaviour to lead them to unsafe sites that can severely infect their computers and devices and steal personal data.”
Michelle Dennedy, chief privacy officer at McAfee, said: “Celebrity names coupled with the terms ‘video’ and ‘picture’ are some of the most-searched terms on the internet.
“Cybercriminals exploit consumers’ need to be updated on celebrity news, leading them to sites that can harm their devices and compromise personal data.”
Last year, the McAfee annual report found actress Lily Collins was serving up the web’s most unpleasant malware.