Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley: The Most Dangerous Celebrities in The World?!

Uh oh! It appears two of our beloved Vampire Diaries stars are at the center of a major controversy. Before you start freaking out, though, please note it’s not due to anything they actually did or said. They’ve done nothing wrong and are still as awesome as ever! However, they might not be as innocuous as they seem: According the study Intel Security recently conducted, Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley were listed — wait for it — among this year’s batch of Most Dangerous Celebrities™.

Source: Fanpop

So what does this mean exactly? It means that so many people search for them online, that some cybercriminals try to take advantage of the situation by luring fans of these actors to phishing sites filled with malware and viruses that can harm their electronic devices and expose their personal data. These crooks are constantly on the hunt for ways to steal passwords and private information, and capitalizing on pop-culture hits and consumer interest appears to be one of them. Intel Security used McAfee® WebAdvisor to determine the number of risky sites that would be generated in search results including a celebrity name and commonly searched terms, and to no one’s surprise, TVD hotties are high on that list.

“With today’s busy culture and a desire for real time information, consumers often click on sites that will quickly provide them with news and entertainment, without considering safety and security implications,” said Stacey Conner, online safety expert at Intel Security. “Cybercriminals leverage this need for immediacy by encouraging people to visit unsafe sites that can steal private data.”

The top 10 celebrities from this year’s study with the highest risk percentages are as follows:

1. Armin van Buuren 17.92%
2. Luke Bryan 17.64%
3. Usher 16.67%
4. Britney Spears 16.39%
5. Jay Z 15.83%
6. Katy Perry 14.86%
7. Amy Schumer 14.72%
8. Betty White 14.03%
9. Lorde 13.61%
10. Nina Dobrev 13.19%

It appears that people looking to download or listen to free music may be especially at risk. “Celebrity names combined with the terms ‘free MP4, ‘HD downloads,’ or ‘torrent’ are some of the most searched terms on the Web,” continues Conner. “When consumers search for music that is not made available through legitimate channels, they put both their digital lives and devices at risk.”

However, the list isn’t strictly based on illegal song or movie downloads — television episodes are a big draw as well! In addition to Nina Dobrev (No. 10), co-star Paul Wesley (No. 18) heats up the list as well as TV stars Sofia Vergara (No. 21), Laverne Cox and Lucy Hale (tied at No. 23), Kylie Jenner (No. 24), and Kim Kardashian (No. 28).

The CW

As for how to better protect yourself? Visit reputable, official sites and avoid clicking on any third-party links. If you receive a message, text or email or visit a third-party website that asks for your information — including your credit card, email, home address, Facebook login — to grant access to an exclusive story, don’t give it out. Such requests are a common tactic for phishing that could lead to identity theft. Moreover, use web protection that will notify you of risky sites or links before you visit them and it’s too late, and only download videos from well-known online destinations. Most news clips you’d want to see can easily be found on official video sites and don’t require you to download anything. Oh, and unlike most our Mystic Falls favorites who still fail to do so to this very day, definitely use password protection on all mobile devices. If you don’t and your phone is lost or stolen, anyone who picks up the device could have access to your personal information online.

Hopefully these tips prove useful in the long run! That being said, do you have any you’d like to add? Have you ever searched for a particular star and found yourself attacked with non-stop ads and a super-slow loading time? Are you shocked another Vampire Diaries star didn’t make it onto the list? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Skip this Ad

ADVERTISEMENT

The post Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley: The Most Dangerous Celebrities in The World?! appeared first on The Vampire Diaries.