CYBERSPOTTING: AND THE 'MOST DANGEROUS CELEBRITIES' ARE...

Tabu, Taapsee Pannu, Anushka Sharma, says a computer security firm, are names which have risky websites & viruses linked to their names

Bollywood stars Tabu, Taapsee Pannu, Anushka Sharma and Sonakshi Sinha are among the top 10 personalities generating the riskiest search results online in India, due to the malicious sites and viruses linked to their names, according to a list released by a cybersecurity company on Tuesday.

But it was global football sensation Cristiano Ronaldo who claimed the numero uno spot on McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrity list.

On number two is Tabu, who recently starred in Mira Nair’s series adaptation of A Suitable Boy, followed by actor Pannu at three, actor-producer Sharma at four, and Sinha at five. The second half of the list is also ruled by the entertainment industry, with singer Armaan Malik in the sixth place, actor Sara Ali Khan coming seventh, soap star Divyanka Tripathi in eighth spot, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the ninth place and playback singer Arijit Singh on 10th.

With only Ronaldo representing sports, the 14th edition of the

McAfee’s Most

Dangerous Celebrity list 2020 is dominated by the names from showbiz. Venkat Krishnapur, vice president of Engineering and managing director, McAfee India, said as consumers scout the web for free entertainment now more than ever, cybercriminals trail close behind, capitalising on this interest.

“Unsuspecting users often look for free and pirated content such as major sports events, movies, TV shows, along with images and leaked videos of their favourite celebs. Bad actors (cybercriminals) leverage consumers’ fascination with pop culture and drive unsuspecting fans to malicious websites that install malware on their devices, potentially putting personal information at risk,” Krishnapur said. “When consumers compromise on security in favour of convenience and freebies, they put their digital lives at risk. It is vital that fans stay vigilant, avoid suspicious links that promise free content and think twice before clicking,” he added. —PTI