Jessica Biel the most dangerous celeb online

Searching for the Hollywood star online most likely to lead to spyware and virus traps, reports Internet security company McAfee. Ms.Biel replaces Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt, who was the spyware websites' favourite keyword last year.

August 25, 2009 12:46 pm | Updated 07:03 pm IST - NEW YORK

Actor Jessica Biel. Photo: AP

Actor Jessica Biel. Photo: AP

Jessica Biel is the most dangerous celebrity on the web.

Security technology company McAfee Inc. reported that searches for the 27-year-old actress are more likely to lead to online threats such as spyware and viruses than searches for any other celebrity.

McAfee said fans searching for the actress have a one-in-five chance of ending up at a website designed to damage one’s computer. It’s the third annual report on the subject from McAfee, which last year found that Brad Pitt was the “most dangerous” celeb online.

“Cybercriminals are star watchers, too,” said Jeff Green, senior vice-president of McAfee’s product development. “They latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise.”

Following Biel in the report, in order, were Beyonce, Jennifer Aniston, Tom Brady and Jessica Simpson. McAfee noted President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are curiously safe searches, ranking no. 34 and no. 39, respectively.

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