The McAfee Most Dangerous CelebritiesTM study revealed that an eclectic mix of comedians and musicians are among the most dangerous or riskiest online personalities which are used by cybercriminals to lead web surfers to malicious sites that deliver viruses or other malware.
- Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and late night host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, is identified as McAfee’s most dangerous celebrity to search for online.
- Justin Bieber was the only Canadian to crack the 50 most dangerous celebrities globally, finishing 44th.
The results of McAfee’s eighth annual Most Dangerous Celebrities study are presented below.
McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrity Sweepstakes: Red Carpet Swag
McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrity Sweepstakes
Share the list.
Win some red carpet swag.THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS INTENDED FOR PLAY IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY AND WILL BE GOVERNED BY U.S. LAW. DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE AND LOCATED IN THE UNITED STATES AT THE TIME OF ENTRY.
The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) begins at 8:00:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (“PDT”) on October 1, 2014 and ends at 5:00:00 PM PDT on October 31, 2014 (“Sweepstakes Period”).
How to win the red carpet swag bag.
During the Sweepstakes Period, an entry is obtained when you visit www.mcafee.com/dangerous-celeb (the “Website”) and share one of the dangerous celebrities or the top ten Most Dangerous Celebrities list on Twitter or Facebook for an entry. You may share each of the ten (10) celebrities or the top 10 list on each of the two (2) social networks once per day, for a total possible of twenty-two (22) entries per day.
- Step 1: Click the Get Started button to share the top ten list or click on your favorite celebrities to share them individually.
- Step 2: Choose to share on Facebook or Twitter.
- Step 3: Share the top ten list and each celebrity to get multiple daily entries.
Prizes: There are 11 total prizes (one prize per winner):
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Red Carpet Swag: Grand Prize (1): Dell Venue™ 7 Tablet, 1-year subscription to McAfee LiveSafe™ service, Beats Solo 2.0 HD On-Ear Headphones, Anker 2nd Gen Astro3 Portable USB Charger, 1-year subscription to Spotify, $50 Zappos.com gift card, and a $20 Starbucks gift card. Approximate retail value (“ARV”): $665.97.
- First Prize (10): 1-year subscription to McAfee LiveSafe service. ARV: $79.99 each.
Eleven winners will be selected at random from among all eligible entries received during the Sweepstakes Period.
Good Luck!
NEWS RELEASE
MCAFEE REVEALS JIMMY KIMMEL AS THE MOST DANGEROUS CYBERCELEBRITY OF 2014
Justin Bieber Tops List of Most Dangerous Canadians
MARKHAM, ON, October 1, 2014 – Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and late night host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, replaces Lily Collins (Mirror, Mirror) as McAfee’s most dangerous celebrity to search for online. For the eighth year in a row, McAfee researched popular culture’s most famous to reveal the riskiest personalities on the web. The McAfee Most Dangerous CelebritiesTM study revealed that an eclectic mix of comedians and musicians are among the most dangerous.
Jimmy Kimmel, with a 19.38 per cent chance of leading searchers to malicious sites, is the second male to find his way to the No. 1 spot (moving from No. 39), with Brad Pitt topping the list in 2008. Following Jimmy Kimmel, DJ Armin van Buuren takes the number two spot and Ciara, the third. Additional celebrities in the top 10 include Blake Shelton, Britney Spears (holding her place at No.7), and three New Jersey natives, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Chelsea Handler.
Several Canadians made the Most Dangerous Celebrities list. Musician and heartthrob, Justin Bieber, dethroned fellow musician Avril Lavigne as Canada’s most dangerous celebrity. Bieber was the only Canadian to crack the 50 most dangerous celebrities globally, finishing 44th. Searches for Justin Bieber had a 13.06 per cent chance of leading web surfers to a malicious site.
DJ and electronic artist Deadmau5 was this year’s second-most-dangerous Canadian with a 12.13 per cent malicious site hit rate, while actress Ellen Page was third with 11.53 per cent.
As underscored by the recent hacking of female celebrities’ private photos, cybercriminals are consistently looking for ways to take advantage of consumer interest around popular culture events such as award shows, new movies and TV shows, as well as the latest celebrity-driven cultural trends. These criminals capitalize on the public’s fascination with celebrity to lure them to sites laden with malware, which enables them to steal passwords and personal information.
“Most consumers don’t think about security risks when they’re looking for celebrity and entertainment news,” said Brenda Moretto, Canadian consumer manager at McAfee. “Cybercriminals capitalize on consumers’ urge to find breaking celebrity news as quickly as possible and leverage this behaviour to lead them to unsafe sites that can severely infect their devices and steal personal data.”
“Celebrity names coupled with the terms ‘video’ and ‘picture’ are some of the most-searched terms on the Internet,” said Michelle Dennedy, chief privacy officer at McAfee. “Cybercriminals exploit consumers’ need to be updated on celebrity news, leading them to sites that can harm their devices and compromise personal data.
Fans searching for “Jimmy Kimmel,” “Jimmy Kimmel downloads,” “Jimmy Kimmel mp4,” and “Jimmy Kimmel torrentz” are at risk of running into online threats designed to steal personal information. Fans clicking on these risky sites and downloading files, including photos and videos, expose themselves to the risk of downloading viruses and malware.
McAfee research found that searching for the latest Jimmy Kimmel pictures and downloads yields more than a 19 per cent chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.
The top 10 celebrities from this year’s study with the highest percentages of risk are:
| Position | Celebrity | Percentage |
| 1 | Jimmy Kimmel | 19.38% |
| 2 | Armin van Buuren | 19.33% |
| 3 | Ciara | 19.31% |
| 4 | Flo Rida | 18.89% |
| 5 | Bruce Springsteen | 18.82% |
| 6 | Blake Shelton | 18.47% |
| 7 | Britney Spears | 18.19% |
| 8 | Jon Bon Jovi | 17.64% |
| 9 | Chelsea Handler | 17.22% |
| 10 | Christina Aguilera | 16.67% |
Top Canadians
In Canada musicians and actors dominated the most dangerous list. The top Canadian celebrities this year are:
| Position | Celebrity | Percentage |
| 1 | Justin Bieber | 13.06% |
| 2 | Deadmau5 | 12.13% |
| 3 | Ellen Page | 11.53% |
| 4 | Avril Lavigne | 11.11% |
| 5 | Anna Paquin | 10.97% |
| 6 | Cobie Smulders | 9.86% |
| 7 | Drake | 8.89% |
| 8 | Jessica Paré | 8.33% |
Dangerously Funny Men & Women
In addition to Jimmy Kimmel (No. 1), Chelsea Handler (No. 9), Jimmy Fallon (No. 12), Adam Sandler (No. 14), Jason Segel (No. 19), Wee Man (No. 35), and Cameron Diaz (No. 41) all rank in the top 50.
Country and EDM Artists Dance to the Top
Representing popular music genres on the rise, country music stars and electric dance music (EDM) artists pump up the top 50 list. Five musicians make the top 50, with two of them landing within the top 10: Armin van Buuren (No.2) and Blake Shelton (No.6). Other musicians at play include: Calvin Harris (No. 17) and Carrie Underwood (No.47).
Chart Toppers Rock Out to the Danger Zone
This year, several rap, hip hop and R&B hit makers are in the top 20: Ciara (No. 3), Flo Rida (No. 4), 50 Cent (No. 13), Cheryl Cole (No. 16) and Iggy Azalea (No. 20). Additional superstars heating up the top 50 are Jason Derulo (No. 24), Jay Z (No. 26), Chris Brown (No. 28), Paul McCartney (No.29), Jennifer Lopez (No. 31), Pitbull (No. 34), Jessie J (No.44), Rihanna (No.45), Justin Timberlake (No.46), and Pharrell Williams (No. 49).
Romantic Comedy’s Leading Ladies
Several of the world’s most famous comedic actresses are in the top 50 this year, including: Jessica Alba (No. 14) Kate Winslet (No. 18), Jennifer Lopez (No. 31), Jessica Biel (No. 33), Jennifer Aniston (No.37), Jennifer Garner (No.38), and Cameron Diaz (No.41).
How You Can Stay Protected:
– Beware of clicking on third party links. You should access content directly from official websites of content providers. For example, visit ABC.com to find Jimmy Kimmel’s latest episodes.
– Ensure that you use a safe search tool that will notify you of risky sites or links before you visit them. Stick to official news sites for breaking news.
– Don’t download videos from suspect sites. This should be common sense, but it bears repeating: don’t download anything from a website you don’t trust — especially video. Most news clips you’d want to see can easily be found on official video sites and don’t require you to download anything.
– “Free downloads” are by far the highest virus-prone search term. Anyone searching for videos or files to download should be careful as not to unleash unsafe content such as malware onto their computers.
– Always use password protection on your phone and other mobile devices. If you don’t and your phone is lost or stolen, anyone who picks up the device could have access to your personal information online.
– Don’t “log in” or provide other information: If you receive a message, text or email or visit a third-party website that asks for your information—credit card, email, home address, Facebook login, or other information—to grant access to an exclusive story, don’t give it out. Such requests are a common tactic for phishing that could lead to identity theft.
– Search online using a tool, such as SiteAdvisor software, which protects users from malicious websites and browser exploits. A complimentary version of SiteAdvisor software can be downloaded at www.siteadvisor.com
Find More Information:
- To learn more about the research, you can check out
- web page: mcafee.com/most-dangerous-celebrities
- Blog post from Gary Davis: http://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/most-dangerous-celebs-2014
- Blog post from Robert Siciliano: http://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/risky-celeb
- Press release: http://www.mcafee.com/us/about/news/2014/q4/20141001-01.aspx
- Twitter: Follow @McAfeeConsumer for live online safety updates and tips. Use hashtag #RiskyCeleb to discuss the Most Dangerous Celebrities of 2014.
- Web surfers can also visit the McAfee Facebook page at facebook.com/mcafee and McAfee Security Advice Center for information on the latest consumer threats and tips for living safe online.
Survey Methodology
The study was conducted using McAfee® SiteAdvisor® site ratings to determine which sites are risky to search when attached to celebrity names on the Web and calculates an overall risk percentage. McAfee SiteAdvisor technology protects users from malicious websites and browser exploits. 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. Ratings are created by using patented advanced technology to conduct automated website tests and works with Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari and Firefox.
The terms “Jimmy Kimmel,” “Jimmy Kimmel downloads,” “Jimmy Kimmel mp4,” and “Jimmy Kimmel torrentz” were used to search for Jimmy Kimmel, and replicated for each celebrity on the list. The results indicated the percentage of risk of running into online threats designed to steal personal information. Fans clicking on these risky sites and downloading files including photos and videos become more vulnerable to downloading viruses and malware.
About McAfee
McAfee is now part of Intel Security. With its Security Connected strategy, innovative approach to hardware-enhanced security, and unique Global Threat Intelligence, Intel Security is intensely focused on developing proactive, proven security solutions and services that protect systems, networks, and mobile devices for business and personal use around the world. Intel Security combines the experience and expertise of McAfee with the innovation and proven performance of Intel to make security an essential ingredient in every architecture and on every computing platform. Intel Security’s mission is to give everyone the confidence to live and work safely and securely in the digital world. www.intelsecurity.com.
McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional offices across Canada. The company’s Consumer Software Research and Development facility is based in Waterloo, Ontario.
Note: McAfee, the McAfee logo, SiteAdvisor, McAfee LiveSafe, and Most Dangerous Celebrities are registered trademarks or trademarks of McAfee, Inc., or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. ©2011 McAfee, Inc. All rights reserved.
