We Indians love our movies and actors and voraciously consume all Page 3 gossip tidbits on them. Our love affair with the celluloid world knows no boundaries – we love our old movies and new; masala movies and art movies. When we hang out, movies will find their way into our discussions. When we organize cultural events, we resort to the latest Bollywood flicks for dance ideas and our fashion is also heavily influenced by our screen idols. Of course, we also search for artists and musicians, Olympics and Asiad winners, writers and poets. But the screen gods and goddesses dominate all searches.
Cyber criminals are well aware of this trait and make full use of it to send across malware or to launch phishing attacks. An innocent search for celeb news could land a user in the murky world of viruses, hacking and scam. In the interest of cyber security, McAfee researches famous individuals globally to reveal which celebrities generate the riskiest search results that could potentially expose their fans to malicious websites. The aim is to stress on the dangers of clicking on suspicious links when searching for celebrity-focused content.
The McAfee survey reveals that the actor, Ileana D’Cruz, as the Most Sensational Celebrity in India, in 2018!
For those new to the survey, the term ‘sensational’ indicates the level of risks linked to online searches involving their names. Which basically means that if you were looking up more details on Ileana D’Cruz and keyed in ‘Ileana + movies’, there is a chance of the search showing unsafe pages and links. The prudent thing to do, is to be aware of what you are clicking on, and use tools like a website reputation checker and a comprehensive security solution.
Let’s end the suspense, readers. You already know Ileana D’Cruz tops the list. Surprisingly, both the 2016 and 2017 toppers, Sonakshi Sinha and comedian Kapil Sharma, failed to make it to the Top 10 this year. Another significant finding is that female actors reign supreme, taking the top three ranks, in contrast to last year, when male actors dominated the top three spots.
Top 10 Sensational Celebs from the 2018 McAfee Study:
Now that we are aware and informed, it’s time to learn a few tricks to safeguard our online searches.
Quick Tips on How to Search Safely :
- Be careful what you click. Users looking for latest movies of Ileana D’Cruz should be cautious and only download directly from a reliable source. Do not give in to temptation and click on links or websites that promise ‘free’ downloads of movies/songs/posters etc. It is better to wait for the official release instead.
- Turn Auto Updates on for your security solutions and OS: Prevention is way better than cure – your OS and security solution providers keep sending updates to plug vulnerabilities and enhance security. Do not fail to apply these updates, for they are needed to protect your device.
- Browse with security protection: I have already referred to this above when explaining how cyber criminals capitalize on searches for celebs online. Avoid their trap- use McAfee Total Protection which will offer comprehensive protection against malware, phishing attacks, and other threats. It includes McAfee WebAdvisor which can help protect against going to malicious websites.
- Use parental control software. Kids are fans of celebrities too, so ensure that limits are set on the child’s device and use software that can help minimize exposure to potentially malicious or inappropriate websites.
Source : McAfee
