The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Why Googling Craig David could get you into trouble
Celebrity names commonly used to lure people to malicious sites
Craig David is the most dangerous celebrity to search for online in the UK, according to cybersecurity giant McAfee.
The annual survey analyses the celebrities whose names are the most likely to be used by cybercriminals to try to lure web users to malicious websites or click on links to malicious software.
Fellow singers Emeli Sande, Liam Payne, Adele and Ed Sheeran completed the top five.
McAfee’s Nick Viney said: “Having the latest hit albums, videos and movies available on our connected devices immediately is a tempting proposition.
“However, consumers need to be aware of the cybersecurity risks of clicking on links that promise the latest content from celebrities, particularly when they’re offering free content.
“When searching for their favourite content online, they need to slow down and assess the links and sources that are showing up in search results.
“We urge people to think before they click to protect themselves from malware and cybersecurity threats.”
According to the security firm’s research, more than one in 10 search results for free content for Craig David led to a malicious website.
Musicians dominated the list this year, with Jessie J, Rita Ora, Charli XCX, Lily Allen and Zayn Malik completing the top 10.
The research, which analysed results from Google, Bing and Yahoo, also found that searching for “free MP3” along with a celebrity name returned the highest number of dangerous website results.
The firm said many hackers used consumer fascination with celebrity culture in order to try and drive users to malicious websites, with the aim of stealing personal data.
McAfee urged users to look for official sources and use anti-virus software in order to remain safe from malware and other forms of cyber attack.