JOIN USActor-comedian Kapil Sharma is the most searched celebrity on the internet in 2017, a report by online security firm McAfee has revealed.
Sharma replaces Sonakshi Sinha in McAfee’s Most Sensational Celebrities list 2017.
For 11th year in a row, the cybersecurity firm researched the riskiest celebrity to search online.
The research offers crucial insights into the way netizens compromise their security for easy consumption of content, resulting in them unwittingly clicking malicious websites.
Salman Khan stands second on the list, followed by Aamir Khan in the third position.
Among the female celebrities, actor and singer Priyanka Chopra was the fourth most searched celebrity — climbing three places from seventh in 2016. Anushka Sharma ranked fifth, Sunny Leone sixth and Kangana Ranaut seventh.
Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and Tiger Shroff completed the top ten positions by respectively becoming the eighth, nineth and tenth most searched celebs on the internet this year.
Cybercriminals continue to exploit netizens’ fascination for celebrities by directing them to websites that install malware or steal personal information and passwords.
“With today’s digital explosion, the gap between celebrities and their fans has diminished,” McAfee’s head of R&D operations Venkat Krishnapur said.
A deluge of fresh and readily consumable content is made available to meet the looming interest among Indians to know more about their favorite icons, he said.
Risky searches
“Cybercriminals are leveraging this interest and preying on consumer vulnerabilities when they compromise on security in favour of convenience,” Krishnapur said.
Thinking before clicking is imperative to stay safe online just like using the right security solution, he suggested.