By , ,
Published January 11, 2017
Hey, you.
Yes, you, the one searching for the latest sizzling shot of Zoe Saldaña.
Proceed with caution.
The "Star Trek Into Darkness" actress is No. 5 on a newly released list of the most dangerous celebrities to search on the Internet.
The list, compiled by Internet security firm McAfee, asserts that searching for photos and downloads relating to the Dominican bombshell yields more than a 10 percent chance of landing on a website found to carry spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.
Other Latinas also made the list. Think twice before searching for model Adriana Lima (No. 9), singer Shakira (No. 11), actress Selena Gomez (No. 14), singer Demi Lovato (No. 16), actress Eva Mendes (No. 19), actress Sofia Vergara (No. 26), actress Jessica Alba (No. 31), and actress Salma Hayek (No. 43).
Topping the list is actress Lily Collins, who replaced Emma Watson, last year’s “most dangerous celebrity.”
Looking up Collins, the daughter of musician Phil Collins, yields a 14.5 percent chance of exposing you to spyware or other cyber misfortunes.
McAfee releases the list every year.
“What most of us don’t realize is that searching for celebrities and other hot topics in the news could put us and our computers, smartphones and tablets at risk,” said Robert Siciliano, McAfee’s online and safety security adviser, in a statement.
“Cyber criminals know that search engines (like Google, Yahoo! and Bing) can also be used for criminal means," Siciliano said. "They know that if they use breaking news, celebrity gossip, or must-have free content, they are more likely to lure you into clicking on phony pages that are designed to steal your money and personal information.”
Other tidbits from the survey disclosed that “women are more dangerous than men.”
"Mad Men" actor Jon Hamm, at No. 8, is the only male to have made the top 10. Only two other males made it in the top 20 – singer Justin Timberlake (No. 12) and actor Patrick Dempsey (No. 13).
While Timberlake is officially dangerous, his wife, Jessica Biel, no longer is.
Biel, who ranked No. 2 in 2012, dropped off the list. So did Watson and actress Megan Fox, who was No. 6.
So what to do?
The security wizards recommend caution with content that prompts a user to download something before showing the searched material.
“You may want to opt to watch streaming videos or download content from official websites of content providers,” the firm’s website said.
Free downloads, it said, “are significantly the highest virus-prone search term.”
Other suggestions are to stay with trusted news sites, don’t “log in” or provide other information to a third-party site for access to an exclusive story.
“Such requests are a common tactic for phishing that could lead to identity theft,” it said.
So go ahead — look for those beach shots of Jon Hamm, and those videos of Shakira's hips that don't lie.
But remember, you've been been warned.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/four-latinas-are-among-20-most-dangerous-celebrities-to-search-on-web