McAfee have been attentive to the dangers that sports tournaments can pose for internet users. This year there has been Euro2012 and the Olympics, as well as a host of other events such as Wimbledon and the Grand Prix. Searching for sports stars names, McAfee has revealed time and time again over the summer, can lead people into sites that seem innocent but are in fact full of dangerous malware.
Looking at all British athletes – who are extremely popular this year what with Team GB’s success at the London 2012 Olympics – McAfee’s recent list showed ‘the most dangerous British athletes to search for on the web’. This followed on from McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities study, which looked at how other famous people aside from sports stars can make surfing the web dangerous.
The tennis player Andy Murray came out on top as the most dangerous British athlete to search for. After a near miss at Wimbledon 2012, a gold medal at the Olympics, and being a popular sports personality, means that searching for things such as ‘Andy Murray videos, ‘Andy Murray downloads’ or ‘Andy Murray screensavers’ puts you at higher risk of stumbling on to malicious malware.
The other most dangerous athletes included Olympic personalities such as Louis Smith and Tom Daley. The cycling Mark Cavendish came in fifth, and Ryan Gigs represented dangerous footballer searches at number 2. Venus Williams topped the list. Others who came high up include Usain Bolt and Novak Djokovic
It comes as no surprise that after a summer of glorious sport, cybercriminals look to current trends and personalities who they can use to lure in internet users. People may think searching for these terms is innocent, and although they can be it is which sites you eventually choose to click through to that are the problem. They can download malware onto your computer, steal personal information, or perform any other piece of cyber crime perhaps without even the user realising. This is why McAfee and other antivirus security software companies urge people to be safe when searching for their favourite sports stars, keeping in mind that whoever is popular is likely to bring up more dangerous websites.
Guest Article by Sophie Camp
The post Andy Murray Wins ‘Brit Most Dangerous to Search’ Prize appeared first on McAfee Promotions.
