· Annual Study Highlights Strong Correlation between Searches for Upcoming Movies and Potential Online Risks
· Kapil Sharma Ousts Other Male Celebrities, Laughing his Way to Third position Overall
India – October 7, 2015 – Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra, replaces Alia Bhatt as Intel Security’s Most Sensational Celebrity to search for online in 2015. Intel Security has researched popular culture’s most famous people to reveal the riskiest personalities on the Web in the 2015 edition of the Most Sensational Celebrities (MSC) study. Amongst the surprise moves this year were Shraddha Kapoor’s meteoric rise to No. 2 (from No. 6 last year) and Kapil Sharma’s No. 3 position marking the only TV personality to make the list.
Cybercriminals keep a lookout for ways to take advantage of consumer interest around popular culture events including award shows, TV show premieres, film music launches, celebrity breakups, and more. Intel Security research found this year that almost 11.47% of all links generated while evaluating the top ten celebrity names (coupled with search terms ‘Torrent’, ‘HD Download’, and ‘Free MP4’) led to malware ridden or suspicious sites.
Commenting on the study findings, Venkat Krishnapur, Head of Intel Security Group- India Engineering Centre said, “Cybercriminals capitalize on consumer interest around popular culture by luring unsuspecting consumers to risky sites to steal sensitive personal data. At Intel Security, our endeavor is to educate and empower consumers to stay safe online. For the ninth consecutive year, our initiative highlights the problem of risky websites.”
The study uses McAfee® WebAdvisor, using SiteAdvisor® site ratings to determine which sites are risky to search when attached to celebrity names on the Internet and calculates the overall risk percentage. Likewise, the top ten celebrities from this year’s study with the highest percentages of risk in Indian cyberspace are:
Position
|
Celebrity
|
Percentage
|
1
|
Priyanka Chopra
|
15.56%
|
2
|
Shraddha Kapoor
|
12.92%
|
3
|
Kapil Sharma
|
12.22%
|
4
|
Jacqueline Fernandez
|
11.94%
|
5
|
Kangana Ranaut
|
11.11%
|
6
|
Hrithik Roshan
|
10.97%
|
7
|
Deepika Padukone
|
10.69%
|
7
|
Emran Hashmi
|
10.69%
|
7
|
Sunny Leone
|
10.69%
|
8
|
Alia Bhatt
|
10.42%
|
9
|
Amir Khan
|
10.28%
|
10
|
Kareena Kapoor
|
10.14%
|
Women outnumber men in being potentially risky targets online
Priyanka Chopra (no. 1), Shraddha Kapoor (no. 2), Jacqueline Fernandes (no. 4), Kangana Ranaut (no. 5), Deepika Padukone, Emran Hashmi as well as Sunny Leone (joint position - no. 7), Alia Bhatt (no. 8) and Kareena Kapoor (no. 10) feature in the top 10 list of Most Sensational Celebrities 2015 edition. Only four male celebrities made it to the top 10 list this year.
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 official sites to find content for your favorite celebrities.
- Only download videos from well-known, legitimate 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.
· Use caution when searching for “Torrent.” This term is by far the highest virus-prone search term. Consumers searching for videos or files through Torrent sites to download content should be careful as not to unleash unsafe content such as malware onto their computers.
- Always use password protection on all 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— including your credit card, email, home address, Facebook login —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 McAfee® WebAdvisor software, which protects users from malicious websites and browser exploits. A complimentary version of the software can be downloaded at http://www.siteadvisor.com/
final/index.html
Find More Information:
· To learn more about the research, you can check out
o Blog post from Toni Birdsong: https://blogs.mcafee.com/
o Twitter: Follow @IntelSecurity for live online safety updates and tips. Use hashtag #MostSensationalCelebs to discuss the Most Sensational Celebrities of 2015
· Web surfers can also visit the Intel Security Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/intelsecurity and McAfee Security Advice Center for information on the latest consumer threats, and tips for living safe online.
· If you do decide to search for information on a major event or celebrity in the news, make sure your entire household’s devices have protection, such as McAfee LiveSafe™ service, which protects all devices from your PCs, Macs, and tablets to your smartphone. It also includes malware detection software, McAfee® Mobile Security, to protect your smartphone or tablet from all types of malware.
Survey Methodology
The study was conducted using McAfee® WebAdvisor, using SiteAdvisor® site ratings to determine the number of risky sites that would be generated in search results including a celebrity name and commonly searched terms (noted below) and calculates an overall risk percentage for that celebrity. McAfee SiteAdvisor technology protects users from malicious websites and browser exploits. SiteAdvisor technology tests and rates nearly every Internet website it finds, 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 “Priyanka Chopra Free MP4”, “Priyanka Chopra HD downloads”, and “Priyanka Chopra Torrent” were used to search for Priyanka Chopra, and similar terms were used for each celebrity on the list. The results indicated the percentage of risk of running into online threats if a user clicked all the results generated by the terms. Fans clicking on these risky sites and downloading files including photos and videos from those sites may also be prone to downloading viruses and malware.
About Intel Security
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.
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