Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie are among the celebrities whose names are most often used by hackers to scam Internet users. — AFP Relaxnews
Canadian actor Ryan Gosling is the celebrity most frequently used to scam Internet users, according to the 2023 ranking of celebrities most exploited by hackers published by antivirus vendor McAfee.
The ranking is based on the number of malware programs or risky sites generated by a search for a celebrity’s name. Ryan Gosling’s presence at the top of this ranking comes as no real surprise, given that he starred in Barbie, the biggest cinematic success of the year to date. His co-star Margot Robbie, who plays the title role, also features in the Top 10.
Ryan Gosling may be this year’s top clickbait, but actresses Emily Blunt and Zendaya, singer Jennifer Lopez, actor Kevin Costner and singer (and occasional wrestler) Bad Bunny are also among the list of celebrities whose names have inspired pirates. More surprisingly, billionaire Elon Musk and American weatherman and journalist Al Roker were also present.
Top 10 McAfee celebrities most exploited by hackers:
1. Ryan Gosling
2. Emily Blunt
3. Jennifer Lopez
4. Zendaya
5. Kevin Costner
6. Elon Musk
7. Al Roker
8. Margot Robbie
9. Bad Bunny
10. America Ferrera
To come up with this ranking, McAfee researchers analysed the percentage of sites identified as risky when searching on the names of a multitude of celebrities.
It’s worth noting that, while they often illustrate bogus promotional offers or cryptocurrency scams, they are also increasingly the subject of deepfakes used in deceptive advertising. – AFP Relaxnews
