Hackers love Ryan Gosling. In reality, hackers use his title as bait greater than another superstar.
With that, the celebrated star of “Barbie” and umpteen different hit movies tops our Hacker Superstar Scorching Record for 2023. It’s our annual examine that reveals which big-name superstar searches most frequently hyperlink to malware and dangerous websites. And this yr, we’ve developed the listing. It now contains celebs noticed in deepfake and different AI-driven content material.
With Gosling’s excessive profile this yr, it comes as little shock that he ranked so extremely. As we reported earlier this yr, “Barbie” was an enormous hit for cybercriminals as properly. They baited shoppers with a rash of ticket scams, obtain scams, and different assaults that capitalized on the summer season hit’s hype.
Who made the Hacker Superstar Scorching Record?
Months later, searches for Gosling stay excessive. His portrayal of Ken has scored him a first-ever Billboard Scorching 100 music with “I’m Simply Ken.” In the meantime, Ken and Barbie outfits rank among the many hottest Halloween costumes for 2023.
And in case you’re questioning, Margot Robbie, who starred as Barbie to Gosling’s Ken, ranked quantity eight on our listing. The total high ten breaks down as follows:
- Ryan Gosling, Golden Globe winner and a number of Academy Award nominee.
- Emily Blunt, critically acclaimed actor and star of this summer season’s hit movie, Oppenheimer.
- Jennifer Lopez, popular culture icon, critically acclaimed singer, actor, and producer.
- Zendaya, critically acclaimed actor and singer.
- Kevin Costner, Academy Award-winning actor and director, and present star of the hit collection, Yellowstone.
- Elon Musk, enterprise magnate and tech entrepreneur.
- Al Roker, the “Immediately” present’s widespread meteorologist, creator, and journalist.
- Margot Robbie, actor, producer, and a number of Academy Award and BAFTA award nominee, and the star of this summer season’s hit movie, Barbie.
- Dangerous Bunny, multi-platinum album singer, and the primary non-English-language singer to be named as Spotify’s most streamed artist of the yr.
- America Ferrera, actor and famous supporting star of this summer season’s hit movie, Barbie.
What’s in danger while you seek for these celebrities.
The hackers behind these celebrity-driven assaults are after two main issues.
- They need you at hand over private data to allow them to use it to commit id fraud and theft.
- They need to infect your gadget with malware. Which may embody spy ware that may steal private data or ransomware that holds your gadget and its recordsdata hostage—for a worth.
Accordingly, they’ll pair superstar names with phrases like audio e-book, lyrics, deepfake, free ringtone, free film, free obtain, MP4, amongst others—which generate outcomes that result in sketchy websites.
In all, they aim individuals who need to obtain one thing or come up with celebrity-related content material in some kind. Once more, consider the “Barbie” film scams earlier this yr that promoted free downloads of the film — however after all they had been malware and id theft scams.
Looking for a celeb title alone didn’t essentially result in a listing of sketchy outcomes. Our personal Chief Expertise Officer, Steve Grobman, described the dangers properly. “We all know individuals are searching for out free content material, equivalent to film downloads, which places them in danger. If it sounds too good to be true, it typically is and deserves a more in-depth look.” But hackers understand how hungry individuals are for superstar content material, and sadly some folks will go forward and click on these hyperlinks that promise celebrity-filled content material, regardless of the dangers.
Who else made the Hacker Superstar Scorching Record?
Additional rounding out the listing, we discovered a number of massive names from sports activities and widespread tradition.
Argentine soccer participant Lionel Messi is available in at quantity 18 on the listing, who just lately made the transfer to Miami’s Main League Soccer crew. Current retiree and all-time American soccer nice Tom Brady clocked in at quantity 19, and Travis Kelce, American soccer tight finish for the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, came in at quantity 22. NBA star Steph Curry at quantity 23, while Aaron Rogers, one other American soccer legend, got here in at quantity 31. And Serena Williams, a dominant pressure on the courtroom and in tradition, ranked at quantity 32.
Actuality and popular culture favorites additionally made the highest 50, with Andy Cohen of “Actual Housewives” fame taking the quantity 11 slot, adopted by Kim Kardashian at quantity 24, and Tom Sandoval at quantity 40 on the listing.
And for the Swifties on the market, Taylor Swift ranked 25 on our listing this yr.
Additionally making the listing — AI scams.
Due to available AI instruments, cybercriminals have elevated each the sophistication and quantity of their assaults. It’s no completely different for these celebrity-based assaults.
Based on McAfee researchers, one such AI-driven development is on the rise: deepfakes. For instance, Elon Musk. He hit quantity six on our listing, and our researchers discovered a big quantity of malicious deepfake content material tied to his title — usually linked with cryptocurrency scams.
Taking a pattern set of the highest 50 listing, McAfee researchers found between 25 to 135 deepfake URLs per superstar search. Whereas there are cases of malicious deepfakes, many superstar deepfakes fall into leisure or false promoting use circumstances proper now. Nevertheless, there’s rising proof that future deepfakes may flip misleading — intentionally passing alongside disinformation in a public determine’s title.
Staying protected whereas trying to find celebs — and typically.
You might have each motive, and each proper, to seek for and luxuriate in your superstar content material safely. A mixture of a pointy eye and on-line safety can preserve you protected on the market.
- Go along with retailers and web sites you’ll be able to belief. When it comes time to get your superstar information, search for names you understand. Dependable sources which have been round. The truth is that it’s not robust for hackers and scammers to rapidly spin up their very own (fully bogus) “superstar information” websites. In reality, it’s reasonably straightforward, thanks partially to AI that may generate phony articles that in any other case look actual.
- Keep on with professional streaming and obtain providers. Whether or not you need to spin one thing from Taylor Swift’s newest album (Taylor’s model, after all) or stream films out of your favourite stars, use identified and legit providers. Sure, typically which means paying. Or placing up with a couple of advertisements. The unlawful alternate options is perhaps riddled with malware or ask for private data that finally ends up proper within the palms of hackers.
- Don’t “log in” or present different data. When you obtain a message, textual content, or electronic mail, or go to a third-party web site that asks for information like your bank card, electronic mail, dwelling handle, or different login data, don’t give it out. Significantly if there’s a promise for “unique” content material. Such requests are a typical tactic for phishing that might result in id theft.
- Inform what’s actual and what’s faux with on-line safety software program. Complete on-line safety software program can preserve superstar scams and different scams like them at bay. First, our new McAfee Rip-off Safety makes use of good AI to detect and warn you of rip-off texts and hyperlinks despatched your means, so you’ll be able to inform what’s actual and what’s faux. Second, internet safety seems to be out for you whilst you search—figuring out malicious hyperlinks and even blocking them in case you nonetheless click on one accidentally. Collectively, that is a part of the total gadget, id, and privateness safety you get with us.
Whether or not it’s Ryan, J-Lo, or Dangerous Bunny – you’ll be able to keep protected while you search.
Hackers and scammers love driving the coattails of celebrities. By hijacking massive names like Ryan, J-Lo, and Dangerous Bunny, they dupe loads of well-meaning followers into downloading malware or handing over their private data.
In fact, that’s no motive to cease trying to find these celebs. In no way. Go forward and luxuriate in your exhibits, music, and films—and all of the information, gossip, and tea surrounding them. That’s all a part of the enjoyable. Simply do it with a pointy eye and the right safety that has your again.
