New Delhi, Oct 6 (UNI) Football star Cristiano Ronaldo has topped McAfee’s India list of most dangerous celebrities to search for online.
McAfee India researched which famous names generate the riskiest search results that could potentially trigger consumers to unknowingly install malware on their devices.
Ronaldo found himself as the No 10 most dangerous celebrity in 2019. Owing to his transfer to Juventus from Real Madrid for a reported £105 million making headlines world over, he has reached the No 1 spot in 2020.
With all eyes on him at the UEFA Champions league, he has been capturing attention from football enthusiasts worldwide. Ronaldo’s popularity has soared because of his football skills, lifestyle, brand endorsements, earnings, and social media clout. Fans are constantly seeking news on his personal life, such as his children and partners.
McAfee’s research shows this highly searched-for soccer star is in fact the most dangerous celebrity to search for in 2020, as his name generates the most harmful links online.
Trailing Ronaldo as the No 2 most dangerous celebrity is veteran actress Tabu. Following her is Taapsee Pannu at No 3, Anushka Sharma at No 4 and Sonakshi Sinha at No 5.
Also making the top ten is Indian singer Armaan Malik at No 6, closely followed by Sara Ali Khan at No 7. Rounding out the rest of the top ten are popular TV soap actress Divyanka Tripathi at No 8, Shah Rukh Khan at No 9 and Bollywood singer Arijit Singh at No 10.
'As consumers scout the web for free entertainment, 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,” said Venkat Krishnapur, vice president of Engineering and managing director, McAfee India.
In 2020, owing to the COVID-19 induced lockdown, Indians have been particularly active online, increasing their usage across many devices and scouring the internet for a wide variety of entertainment.
From free movies and TV shows to the latest celebrity news and gossip, consumers turned to digital celebrity content to entertain themselves.
UNI AVK NC 1710