A Celebrity Gave Me Malware!

Celeb searches wreak havoc with computers
October 2009
by Robin Wark

We are living in a celebrity crazed world and that is not good for your computer. A recent study has revealed that searching online for some of today's hottest stars can lead you to websites rife with spyware, viruses, adware, Trojans, other malware and phishing schemes.

Topping the 2009 list of Hollywood's most "dangerous" online celebrities was Powder Blue actress Jessica Biel. Almost half of the results in a search for screensavers of the former 7th Heaven star contained malicious downloads.

The rest of the top 15 is filled with the hottest names in the world of movies and music. Beyonce was ranked No. 2 for the second straight year. Searching for ringtones from the popular "Halo" and "Single Ladies" performer is particularly prone to lead Web surfers to spyware and adware. Former "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (the top 15's lone athlete and one of only two males) and reality star and singer Jessica Simpson round out the top five.

The results of the study do not surprise ParetoLogic security analyst Jean Taggart, who is a member of ParetoLogic's respected Spyware Analysis Team (SWAT). He said cyber criminals "use celebrities, news of interest, anything like that because people are going to be looking for it online."

Taggart compared searching for celebrities to the massive Storm botnet infection of a couple years ago. Computer users across the world received email messages with intriguing subject lines such as "230 dead as storm batters Europe" and "Chinese missile shot down USA aircraft." People opened these messages and their computers became infected. At its peak, the Storm botnet might have infected as many of 50 million computers, according to a 2007 Neoseeker website article. It was used for a variety of criminal activities and attacked online operations of security vendors who tried to stop it, a Sept. 25, 2007 article in The Register stated.

Comparing the Storm botnet to celebrity searches, Taggart said, "It's the same principle. If you find something that triggers a curiosity for your end user, you've won."

The current list of "dangerous" celebrities demonstrates how cyber criminals are keeping up with the most popular trends. For example, reality TV star Paris Hilton topped the inaugural list by McAfee three years ago. She is not even in the top 15 this year. "Inglorious Basterds" actor Brad Pitt was deemed the most dangerous of 2008 but fell to No. 10 this year.

Once drawn to malicious websites, celebrity-hungry users can be victimized by a "drive-by download." This is a situation where, without their knowledge, malware is installed on people's computers when they are viewing a website or click on an email or popup ad. A Consumer Reports study showed that from January through June this year almost half a million U.S. families had to replace their PCs due to drive-by downloads, according to an Aug. 25 Chicago Sun-Times article.

Taggart emphasized that a big part of safe surfing is being smart about where you go and what you click on. He noted that you should be wary about downloading items such as screensavers and ringtones which might contain a hazardous payload.

"If you want to download content, you should go to the official website," he said. "Anything else can be used as a vehicle."

For example, he suggested using official movie websites to download screensavers of your favourite actors and actresses. There are also ringtones you can pay for that are safer and do not go against copyright laws.

It is also important to take steps to secure your computer. It is vital to have an anti-virus or anti-spyware solution installed. Some of these products include "active protection," which block drive-by downloads. Along with this, a firewall provides further protection.

The top six through 15 "dangerous celebs" include the world's reportedly highest-paid model Gisele Bundchen (Brady's wife), "Hannah Montana" and music star Miley Cyrus, "Transformers" star Megan Fox and Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie (tied at No. 8), "High School Musical" singer/actress Ashley Tisdale, Pitt, "Monsters vs. Aliens" voice Reese Witherspoon, pop star Britney Spears, "Disturbia" singer Rihanna, actress Lindsay Lohan and reality TV celeb Kim Kardashian.

A list of the most dangerous celebrities in the United Kingdom was also released. Its top 10 was led by TV star and former model Katie Price, who was once known as Jordan. Reportedly one in six web searches with her name will lead you to a website that could hurt your computer. The rest of the UK top 10 included: actor Jude Law, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, model Kate Moss, soccer player David Beckham, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, media personality Kerry Kotana, "Rehab" singer Amy Winehouse, Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole and "Bleeding Love" vocalist Leona Lewis.