As much as this grumpy 32 year old would like this piece to be about bad taste, man that would be sweet, this piece is about cyber-security.
We’re constantly searching the web for news about what is going on in the world of celebrities but we do we ever stop to think of the consequences? I’m not talking about the absurd reality we live in that sees Justin Bieber earning more from his music career than Led Zeppelin earnt from theirs, I’m talking about the threats and vulnerabilities we expose ourselves to when we type in the names of the rich and famous into Google.
Make sure your Facebook friends don’t Google these dangerous celebrities
Well antivirus firm McAfee have done just that and maybe we should take notice next we try to find out who Calvin Harris was dancing with or why Katy Perry was in such a good mood at the Emmys. McAfee have put together a list of the top 10 most dangerous celebrities to Google. These are the 10 celebrity names that Googling will put you at the greatest risk of being exposed to malware.
Now I know it is ironic that you probably haven’t thought about Avril Lavigne for a few years and the only reason you’re thinking of Googling here now is because of this article but don’t. If you were to search “Avril Lavigne + free MP3” you would have a huge 22% chance of being exposed to a malicious site.
Help protect your Twitter followers from these danderous search terms
As you can see, musicians have dominated the list from McAfee and this is because people are constantly looking for free downloads and this gives hackers a way in. As soon as you download something from a nefarious source or sketchy website, you’re making yourself fair game for these cyber-criminals to install whatever the hell they want on your machine. You have to be careful.
So it seems that if you’re just after a Wikipedia entry or a bit of news from a reputable site, even if it is in bad taste, you should be ok. However, as he is number 7 on the list this grumpy 32 year old has to recommend that if you truly want to be safe you should never Google Justin Bieber. Ever.
Just to be safe.
Via: McAfee
Follow me on Twitter: @PatrickDevaney_