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The Dangers of Searching for Jessica Biel, Tom Brady, Angeline Jolie, and Others

SUMMARY: A reminder that seemingly-innocent Internet searches can have disastrous consequences.

Security software producer McAfee has put out a press release reminding people that when you search for celebrities, more than just free photos, screensavers, and videos may make it to your computer. Unfortunately, miscreants target peoples' desires for information and media regarding celebrities, attaching spyware and other malware to the results.

According to McAfee, Jessica Biel is considered "the most dangerous celebrity to search in cyberspace", meaning that people performing searches have a 20% chance of hitting a page containing viruses or other malware, phishing scams, or other problems.

Sample results when searching for a Jessica Biel screensaver - are the results safe? (URLs have been blurred)

Of course, the release has a subtle reminder that McAfee produces tools that help combat malware and online scams, as well as SiteAdvisor software that helps determine whether or not websites are safe to visit.

The press release includes more information about the malware problem and lists the top 15 celebrity searches that may result in risky sites:

* McAfee, Inc. Names Jessica Biel the Most Dangerous Celebrity in Cyberspace: http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3554

You may also want to visit the Badware Website Clearinghouse to see if a website you are about to visit is listed as hosting malware.

Note that no tool or service can promise 100% safety. Practice common sense when surfing the web, install a firewall and anti-malware software, and keep your operating system and all software up-to-date.