This story is from October 22, 2019

Dhoni is ‘most dangerous celebrity’ to search online, study finds

Former Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni is the most dangerous celebrity to search online, according to McAfee’s annual Most Dangerous Celebrity research 2019.
Dhoni is ‘most dangerous celebrity’ to search online, study finds
M S Dhoni
CHENNAI: Former Indian cricket captain M S Dhoni is the most dangerous celebrity to search online, according to McAfee’s annual Most Dangerous Celebrity research 2019.
The study analyses which celebrities generate the most dangerous search results that could expose consumers to malicious websites, malware and other risky outcomes.
From cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar to Netflix star Radhika Apte, celebrities in the top 10 include reality TV stars, sports stars and pop artists.

In its thirteenth edition, McAfee’s research identified popular celebrities generating the riskiest search results that could potentially expose their fans to malicious websites and viruses.
Dhoni's immense popularity not just attracts fandom but has also created a field day for cybercriminals to lure unsuspecting consumers to malicious websites that may install malware or steal personal information and passwords, the study showed.
Second on the list was Tendulkar, followed by Gautam Gulati, winner of the reality TV show Bigg Boss.
Following closely was Bollywood actress Sunny Leone and pop icon Badshah. Radhika Apte (6), Shraddha Kapoor (7), Harmanpreet Kaur (8), P V Sindhu (9) and Cristiano Ronaldo (10) were also part of the list of top 10 celebrities riskiest to search in India.

“The significant ease of internet access, through a host of connected devices has made it increasingly viable for users to avail content from all over the world. As subscription-based content platforms continue to grow in India, netizens often look for free and pirated content such as major sports events, movies, TV shows and images of their favourite superstars. Unfortunately, they may not be fully aware of the risks that malicious websites providing such content can pose in exchange for this access,” Venkat Krishnapur, vice-president of engineering and managing director, McAfee India, said.
Cybercriminals leverage this opportunity and prey on consumer vulnerabilities when they compromise on security in favour of convenience. It is essential for consumers to recognise these threats, think before they click and avoid suspicious links that promise free content, Krishnapur added.
As this digital native population continues to spend more time online owing to cheaper data and proliferation of smart devices, they will continue to remain soft targets for cybercriminals who thrive on such user behaviour, the study said.
Consumers must be careful about what they click and users looking to avail free content related to Dhoni should be cautious and only stream and download directly from a reliable source, it advised. "The safest thing to do is to wait for the official release instead of visiting a third-party website that could contain malware."
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