Cristiano Ronaldo replaces Mahendra Singh Dhoni as most dangerous celebrity to search for online in India

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo tops McAfee’s India list of most dangerous celebrities to search for online. 

 

Ronaldo was ranked tenth on the list last year while Mahendra Singh Dhoni topped the list. 

 

McAfee’s research shows this highly searched-for footballer is the most dangerous celebrity to search for in 2020, as his name generates the most harmful links online.

 

Ranked second on this dangerous search list which is dominated by Bollywood stars is Tabu. Taapsee Pannu is ranked third.

 

Position	Celebrity
1	Cristiano Ronaldo
2	Tabu
3	Taapsee Pannu
4	Anushka Sharma
5	Sonakshi Sinha
6	Armaan Malik
7	Sara Ali Khan
8	Divyanka Tripathi
9	Shah Rukh Khan
10	Arijit Singh

 

Venkat Krishnapur, VP - engineering and MD, 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 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. 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.”

 

McAfee states that Indians have been particularly active online, increasing their usage across many devices and scouring the internet for a wide variety of entertainment during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hackers too have honed-in on this trend, following consumer behaviour to execute their scam strategies. 

 

McAfee has also offered tips to consumers to stay safe online: 

 

• Be careful what you click. Users looking for the latest releases, as well as updates on their favourite celebrities, should be cautious and only click on links to reliable sources. The safest thing to do is to wait for official releases and leverage legitimate TV and movie streaming platforms, instead of visiting third-party websites that could contain malware.

• Refrain from illegal streaming and downloading suspicious mp3s. Whether consumers prefer catching a re-run of a movie or listening to music, it is important to use legitimate music and movie streaming platforms, even if they come at a cost. Many illegal downloads are riddled with malware or adware disguised as mp3 files.

• Use parental control software. Kids are fans of celebrities, so ensure that limits are set for children on their devices and use parental control software to help minimise exposure to potentially malicious or inappropriate websites.