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From Nicki Minaj to Anna Kendrick, these are the celebrities who are the most dangerous to search for online
From Nicki Minaj to Anna Kendrick, these are the celebrities who are the most dangerous to search for online
Paige LeskinOct 26, 2019, 20:07 IST
Getty Images; Getty Images; NBC
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McAfee, a cybersecurity firm, has released its annual list of the "most dangerous celebrities," which ranks which celebrities produce online search results most likely to lead to malware and viruses.
The No. 1 spot for 2019 belongs to actress Alexis Bledel, the star of "Gilmore Girls" and Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale."
These are 2019's 10 most dangerous celebrities in the US who generate the riskiest search results.
Nearly two decades have passed since the infamous Anna Kournikova virus swept the internet, but the names of celebrities are still being used to trick internet users into giving away their information.
Cybersecurity firm McAfee recently released its annual list of most dangerous celebrities, based on online searches for actresses, singers, and other high-profile people whose names yield results leading users to viruses, malware, and websites that can access your personal information and data.
"[Consumers] are interacting with content across multiple devices and conducting potentially dangerous searches across the internet to find the latest information or gossip without fear of consequence," McAfee wrote about its study. "For cybercriminals, this creates a field day to lure unsuspecting consumers to malicious websites that may install malware or steal personal information and passwords."
To create its list, McAfee compiled terms associated with these celebrities that often produce malicious results, such as internet searches for nude pictures, illegal video streaming, and other pirated downloads. URLs and websites that appeared in search results were ranked on how risky they are as well. Additionally, the sheer popularity of these celebrities - and thus, how often people looked them up - was also taken into consideration.
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These are the 10 most dangerous celebrities in the US in 2019, according to McAfee:
Rapper Lil Wayne hasn't necessarily done anything headline-worthy in 2019, so it's interesting that he made this year's list of most dangerous celebrities.
McAfee told Business Insider that Lil Wayne's position on its list can be attributed to the rapper's summer tour with rock band Blink-182, as well as "fans continuing to search for illegal downloads, performances, interviews and older music well into 2019."
7. Jackie Chan
Rumors circulated earlier this year that martial artist Jackie Chan would make appearances in sequels for both "Rush Hour" and "The Karate Kid."
However, Chan's representatives shot down that speculation in April, and said that someone was falsely using the identity of a "motion picture industry professional to release false information concerning the hiring of the crew, casting, audition and other matters in connection with the pictures 'Rush Hour 4' and 'The Karate Kid 2.'"
6. Jimmy Fallon
Late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallow regularly features a rotation of high-profile A-listers participating in funny skits and games. It's resulted in many clips from "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" to go viral, and likely attracted many users distracted by the allure of star-studded videos to see whether they were clicking on something malicious or dangerous.
5. Lupita Nyong'o
Actress Lupita Nyong'o was the star of the horror film "Us," which was released this year to secede Jordan Peele's breakout directorial debut from 2017, "Get Out."
Nyong'o also recently released a children's picture book, "Sulwe," which Nyong'o has said is meant for girls of color to "see more dark skin in a beautiful light."
4. Anna Kendrick
It's been more than 10 years since Anna Kendrick stole the show as a minor character named Jessica Stanley in the "Twilight" movie, and she's since had iconic roles in "Pitch Perfect," "Up in the Air," and "A Simple Favor."
Although she's stayed relatively quiet acting-wise in 2019, Kendrick is known for being hilarious on social media, and has started pursuing roles as an executive producer.
3. Sophie Turner
Turner became a household name through her regular role on "Game of Thrones," which came to an end this year. Turner has remained a public figure, however, thanks to her marriage to Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers and regularly memorableInstagram Stories.
2. James Corden
Like Fallon, James Corden hosts a talk show where he regularly chats with celebrities and high-profile personalities, and maintains a wildly popular segment called "Carpool Karaoke."
Alexis Bledel's career started out with roles as a young, small-town girl in "Gilmore Girls" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." She emerged again with her role on Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale," which came to an end this year, but it's not entirely clear why Bledel tops McAfee's list.
McAfee didn't have a cut-and-dry reason behind it either, but attributed her No. 1 spot to an influx of users searching online for illegal streams of "The Handmaid's Tale."
