Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Gosling, and Eight More Celebrities That Hackers “Use” To Swindle You
Recently, the US-based internet security firm McAfee identified well-known celebrities whose names are often used by con artists to trick people into visiting harmful websites or downloading malware when they search online.
Canadian actor Ryan Gosling tops the list of celebrities whose identities fraudsters exploit most often in internet scams, according a McAfee Labs survey. When you look for celebrities online, you may find hazardous websites with names like rapper Bad Bunny, tech tycoon Elon Musk, and actress Emily Blunt.
This research is an update to McAfee’s 15-year history of detecting celebrity names most often linked to malicious software and dubious websites in internet searches, which may cause users to inadvertently download malware and endanger their identity, data, and privacy.
MCAFEE’S HACKER CELEBRITY HOT LIST’S TOP TEN
– Ryan Gosling, critically acclaimed actor and star of this summer’s hit film, Barbie
– Emily Blunt, critically acclaimed actress and star of this summer’s hit film, Oppenheimer
– Jennifer Lopez, pop culture icon, critically acclaimed singer, actress and producer
– Zendaya, critically acclaimed actress and singer
– Kevin Costner, critically acclaimed actor and director, and star of the hit series, Yellowstone
– Elon Musk, business magnate and tech entrepreneur
– Al Roker, TODAY’s weather man, author, and journalist
– Margot Robbie, critically acclaimed actress and star of this summer’s hit film, Barbie
– Bad Bunny, critically acclaimed singer, and the first non-English language singer to be named as Spotify’s most streamed artist of the year.
– America Ferrera, critically acclaimed actress and noted supporting star of this summer’s hit film, Barbie
– The highly regarded musician Bad Bunny, who became the first non-English speaking performer to be listed as Spotify’s most streamed artist of the year.
— America Ferrera, the highly regarded actress and prominent supporting character in the blockbuster movie Barbie this summer
Among the celebrities taking the most risks this year are some of the most talked-about sportsmen and sports personalities. Lionel Messi, an Argentine soccer star, is ranked No. 18 on the list. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Steph Curry, Travis Kelce, and Serena Williams are all quite close behind him, coming in at Nos. 19 and No. 22, respectively, ahead of Taylor Swift at No. 25.
The most recent list demonstrates how the landscape of cyber security has evolved, particularly in light of the development of artificial intelligence. AI is now being used by cybercriminals to craft increasingly intricate and varied schemes, some of which even utilize famous people’s identities for malicious intent.
CAN YOU IDENTIFY CELEBRITY SCAMS?
– Watch what you click: People searching for must-see films or the latest information on their favorite celebrities should exercise caution and only click on links that go to reputable websites. Waiting for official releases and using reputable streaming services is a safer option than going to unaffiliated websites that could be infected with viruses.
– Avoid downloading dubious mp3s and engaging in illicit streaming.
– Download movies from reputable, well-known websites only. Even if the download seems to be a private communication from Ryan Gosling, proceed with caution and confirm that the website is trustworthy before downloading anything, particularly videos.
Don’t enter any more information or “log in.” Don’t provide personal information to anybody requesting it in order to get access to an exclusive article, whether it be by text, email, or message on a third-party website or via a request for your credit card number, email address, home address, or social network login.
Such solicitations are a typical phishing technique that may result in identity theft.
