An online search for actress Jessica Biel is the most likely to land a Web surfer on a site hosting spyware, a virus or other malware, Internet security firm McAfee warned on Tuesday.
Jessica Biel, 27, who starred in the 2003 remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and other films, has overtaken Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt as the “most dangerous celebrity to search in cyberspace,” McAfee said.
“Cybercriminals are star watchers too — they latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise,” said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Avert Labs.
“Consumers’ obsession with celebrity news and culture is harmless in theory, but one bad download can cause a lot of damage to a computer.”
McAfee said searches for “Jessica Biel,” “Jessica Biel photos,” “Jessica Biel videos” and “Jessica Biel screensavers” have a one in five chance of landing at a website that has tested positive for online threats such as spyware, viruses, spam or other malware.
It said pop star Beyonce ranked number two after Biel followed by actress Jennifer Aniston, American football star Tom Brady, singer Jessica Simpson, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen and teen pop idol Miley Cyrus.
Actresses Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox tied for eighth while actress and singer Ashley Tisdale was in ninth place. Brad Pitt fell to 10th from first last year.
McAfee said Web searches for US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were relatively safe. They ranked number 34 and number 39 respectively.
