Don't worry, Heidi Klum won't pull a gun on you, but clicking on her name because you see it in an ad and "love her so much" might make you want to take that gun to your computer. We're talking about viruses, spam and other headaches that arise when shady internet users utilize celeb names to draw in their victims.
According to McAfee's Security Advice Center, who does a study listing "the most dangerous" online celebrities, super model and reality show host Heidi Klum is this year's most dangerous celeb on the internet. According to the article and McAfee's findings, searches for this superstar have a 10 percent chance of sending the searcher to a not-so-safe site, which in turn creates a big risk for the searcher and their computer. Through pictures and downloads brought up by unassuming search engines, thousands of computers every year are infected with spam--and not the friendly canned meat product.
Not only was I not aware that McAfee even did this kind of research, I was also unaware that this was a threat to me.
Other virus-spreading frontrunners include: Mila Kunis, Brad Pitt and Emma Stone.
What's the big deal about spam, you ask. I'll tell ya.
This is the definition of spam according to "The Spamhaus Project," an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to track the internet's spam operations and sources: 'An electronic message is "spam" if (A) the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients; AND (B) the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent.'
In real words...spam can make a mess of your computer and can cost hundreds of dollars to clear from it.
I think the effect this issue (which has recently come to my attention) has on media and internet communities is really obvious. This can happen to you, to anyone. Just by clicking on a photo of your favorite celebrity so you can post it to your photo blog, you could give your computer a virus.
The CNN article:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/15/tech/most-dangerous-celebrities/index.html
McAfee's list of Dangerous Celebs:
http://home.mcafee.com/advicecenter/most-dangerous-celebrities?ctst=1The definition of (the non-edible) spam:
http://www.spamhaus.org/definition.html
Should this be surprising? Not so much. How many times a day do we (or did we) receive those instant messages telling us “to click to see the video of us doing something crazy.” Spam creators—whoever they are—have found a way to infiltrate our computers against our will. It’s not so much the idea of spam that frightens people, but what happens as a result. If a hacker or spammer gets a hold of my computer (which has my social security number, credit card number, driver’s license number, etc.) punched into its memory, what’s to say my identity will stay safe? The fact that spammers are using celebrities means they discovered the quickest way into the minds of users: pop culture.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Anna.
Anna,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the spam creators are becoming more intelligent and creative. Your research obviously supports this. When I type in keywords and a site pops up, I expect the information to be related to what I was searching. At school we are constantly being reminded to not download something if we cannot verify the source. As we think about forwarding information, this needs to be a concern that is addressed too. We don't want to attach a file that has a virus. We need to be vigilant when using our social media products.
Valerie
Interesting. Actually, I didn't realize that celebs names were used for this sort of thing, but I am not surprised. How else would a site receive so many hits? Smart on their behalf, but it almost feels like I have already been violated!
ReplyDeleteViruses are something we do not consciously think about all the time. However, they are a big part of the internet and the media today. Virus protection programs give us a little protection, but we are vulnerable every minute we spend on the internet. Users have to be cautious about what they click on and what they download, which is too bad. It is too bad because the internet, which is a wonderful tool, is also a trap in some instances. Intriguing article and great job!
ReplyDeleteAs far as virus's go, my advice would be - buy a Mac. We rarely ever have to worry about them, because those geeks that write these viruses want to attack the most people and that would be those on pc's.
ReplyDeleteAs far as spam, thats a huge problem no matter what platform you are on. Thats why after we post these comments, we have to type in those goofy words so that our comments don't get filled up with crap. I don't seem to see it as much as before, but I do get them in email form almost everyday.