She may be known for her playful giggles and killer looks, but now movie star Cameron Diaz has become the most dangerous celebrity on the Internet.Diaz, 37, is top of the list of the most dangerous celebrities to search for online, above second-placed Julia Roberts, according to computer security company McAfee, Inc. Last year’s most dangerous web celebrity, Jessica Biel, fell to third.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE67I4AL20100819
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/08/20/2988220.htmAlso see:Cameron Diaz ‘riskiest’ celeb on the Net
Cameron Diaz fans, look out. The actress has made McAfee’s list as the most dangerous celebrity to search for in cyberspace.Released Thursday, McAfee’s fourth annual Most Dangerous Celebrities report tracked the top performers, models, and other celebrities that cybercriminals use to trick people into hitting malicious Web sites. Search for a hot photo or the latest gossip on your favorite star, and you could find your PC infected with a payload of malware instead.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20014145-83.htmlCameron Diaz named web’s most dangerous celebrity
Cameron Diaz has been named the most dangerous celebrity on the web for 2010 by McAfee.Research by the security firm, which has been acquired by Intel, revealed that web users searching for images, screen savers and videos of the ‘Knight and Day’ actress have a one in ten chance of being presented with results that lead to malicious web pages.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3236193
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/081910-cameron-diaz-named-webs-most.htmlCameron Diaz could wreck your PC, McAfee warns
Cameron Diaz’s next film could easily be titled “There’s Something About Malware.”That’s because, according to McAfee, Diaz is now the “most dangerous” celebrity to search for on the Internet. In its annual rankings of the most dangerous celebrity searches on the web released today, McAfee says that “searching for Diaz results in a one in ten chance of landing on a risky site.” Additionally, 19% of sites that popped up while searching for Cameron Diaz screensavers are found to contain malicious downloads, the security firm finds.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/081910-cameron-diaz-celebrity-malware.htmlCameron Diaz Named Most Dangerous Celebrity in Cyberspace by McAfee, Inc. [news release]
Justin Timberlake’s Ex Knocks Current Girlfriend Biel to #3 Spot;Fourth Annual Report by McAfee Reveals Searching for the Stars is Safer This Year Cameron Diaz has replaced Jessica Biel as the most dangerous celebrity to search for on the Web, according to security company McAfee, Inc.. For the fourth year in a row, McAfee researched popular culture’s most famous people to reveal the riskiest celebrity athletes, musicians, politicians, comedians and Hollywood stars on the Web.The McAfee Most Dangerous CelebritiesTM study found movie stars and models top the “most dangerous” list this year while politicians like Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are among the safest.Cybercriminals often use the names of popular celebrities to lure people to sites that are actually laden with malicious software. Anyone looking for the latest videos or pictures could end up with a malware-ridden computer instead of just trendy content.”This year, the search results for celebrities are safer than they’ve been in previous years, but there are still dangers when searching online,” said Dave Marcus, security researcher for McAfee Labs. “Through consumer education and tools, such as McAfee® SiteAdvisor® site ratings, consumers are getting smarter about searching online, yet cybercriminals are getting sneakier in their techniques. Now they’re hiding malicious content in ‘tiny’ places like shortened URLs that can spread virally in social networking sites and Twitter, instead of on websites and downloads.”Cameron Diaz Searches Yield Ten Percent Chance of Landing on a Malicious SiteMcAfee research found that searching for the latest Cameron Diaz pictures and downloads yields a ten percent chance of landing on a website that’s tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.Fans searching for “Cameron Diaz” or “Cameron Diaz and downloads,” “Cameron Diaz and screen savers,” “Cameron Diaz and wallpaper,” “Cameron Diaz and photos” and “Cameron Diaz and videos” are at risk of running into online threats designed to steal personal information. Clicking on these risky sites and downloading files like photos, videos or screensavers exposes surfers or consumers to the risk of downloading the viruses and malware.The study uses SiteAdvisor site ratings, which indicates which sites are risky to search for celebrity names on the Web and calculate an overall risk percentage. The top 10 celebrities from this year’s study with the highest percentages of risk are:
Position Celebrity
1 Cameron Diaz – Searching for Diaz results in a one in ten chance of landing on a risky site. She has most recently been in the spotlight with blockbuster movies, “Knight and Day” and “Shrek Forever After.” When “Cameron Diaz and screensavers” was searched, 19 percent of the sites were identified as containing malicious downloads.
2 Julia Roberts – Academy Award-winning actress Julia Roberts is one of America’s sweethearts, and will soon be in the spotlight with her upcoming release of “Eat, Pray, Love.” The overall risk of searching for Roberts is nine percent, yet searching for “Julia Roberts and downloads” results in a 20 percent chance of downloading a photo, wallpaper or other file laden with malware.
3 Jessica Biel – Last year’s Most Dangerous Celebrity fell two spots with searches resulting in fewer risky sites this year. Biel continues to be in the spotlight with her on-again, off-again relationship with Justin Timberlake, and appeared in “The A-Team” in June 2010. While her overall search risk is nine percent, searching for “Jessica Biel and screensavers” results in a 17 percent chance of landing on a risky site.
4 Gisele Bündchen – The world’s highest-paid supermodel moved up two spots since last year. Searching for “Gisele Bündchen and screensavers” can prove risky, 15 percent of the search results for this beauty can put spyware, malware or viruses on your computer.
5 Brad Pitt – Pitt is often in the spotlight with news of his movies and his personal life. It’s no wonder why this leading man has been in the top ten for the past three years. He moved up in rank five spots this year. Downloading photos, screensavers, or other files of Brad can potentially put adware or spyware in your computer.
6 Adriana Lima – Searching for downloads of this Brazilian beauty can direct users to red-ranked sites. Lima is best known for being a Victoria’s Secret Angel since 2000.
7 Jennifer Love Hewitt, Nicole Kidman – Searching for these Hollywood starlets resulted in an equal number of risky download websites.
8 Tom Cruise – With recent buzz around his MTV Awards performance as well as his movie, “Knight and Day,” Cruise rises to the top ten.
9 Heidi Klum, Penelope Cruz – Both of these ladies are consistently in the spotlight, and share the #9 spot. Cybercriminals use their names to lure people to risky sites. Klum hosts “Project Runway” and Cruz has been in the spotlight recently for her role in the “Sex and the City 2” movie and is expected to be in the fourth film of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series.
10 Anna Paquin – This “True Blood” star is as dangerous on the Web as she is on the screen. Searching for screensavers of Paquin can lead you to downloads filled with malware.”Cybercriminals follow the same hot topics as consumers, and create traps based on the latest trends,” continued Marcus. “Whether you’re surfing the Web from your computer or your phone or clicking on links in Twitter about your favorite celeb, you should surf safely, and make sure you’re using the latest security software.”Beware of Victoria’s Secret BeautiesThree of Victoria’s Secret top models are among the top ten this year. Searching for downloads of sexy Gisele Bündchen (#4), Adriana Lima (#6), and Heidi Klum (#9) can result in landing on a high percentage of risky sites.Dangerous AthletesTennis stars Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick came in at (#13) and (#14) respectively. Most of the risky sites were uncovered when searching for screensavers featuring these sexy athletes. David Beckham ranked (#29) and Tiger Woods ranked (#33) this year.“Bieber Fever” is Not DangerousTeen sensation Justin Bieber ranked towards the bottom of the list at #46. This young star recently broke a YouTube record with more views than Lady Gaga (#37). Other young Hollywood stars like Miley Cyrus (#44) and Zac Efron (#40) were also relatively safe to search.Obama and Palin at the Bottom of the PackPresident Barack Obama (#49) and Sarah Palin (#50) are not among the most risky personalities to search; they ranked in the bottom of this year’s results, moving even lower on the list compared to last year.Keep Safe with McAfee SiteAdvisor Plus softwareMcAfee security experts urge consumers to surf safely by using McAfee SiteAdvisor Plus software ($19.99). It displays red, yellow and green icons on the search results page that indicates the safety-level of websites. It also checks the safety of links in e-mail and instant messaging applications, blocks risky websites, adds anti-phishing protection, and helps users more safely surf, shop and bank online. SiteAdvisor Plus software is already included with McAfee Total Protection™ software, a comprehensive security suite that protects against antivirus, anti-spyware, and identity and firewall protection.Consumers can also safely surf the Web by using the Yahoo! SearchScan toolbar, which only shows ratings for “red” sites that are have potentially dangerous downloads including viruses, spyware and other harmful software.Web surfers should visit the McAfee Security Advice Center and Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mcafee for information on the latest threats, and tips on surfing safely.About McAfee® SiteAdvisor® technologyMcAfee SiteAdvisor technology protects users from malicious websites and browser exploits, and notifies users whether a site has been scanned by McAfee for potential vulnerabilities. SiteAdvisor technology tests and rates nearly every trafficked site on the Internet and uses red, yellow and green icons to indicate the website’s risk level.SiteAdvisor site ratings are created by using patented advanced technology to conduct automated website tests. The SiteAdvisor software can be downloaded quickly and for free at www.mcafee.com/siteadvisor. SiteAdvisor software works with Internet Explorer and Firefox.About McAfee, Inc.McAfee, Inc., headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more securely. Backed by unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security. McAfee secures your digital world. www.mcafee.com
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