Shawn Mendes is Canada's Most Dangerous Celebrity in 2017, says McAfee study

Canadian Musicians Hit the Right Key
and Dominate the List for First Time Ever

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• Canada's Most Dangerous Celebrities include musicians Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen
• Music from the celebrities on the Canadian list can be heard in this Spotify playlist (McAfee is not affiliated with these artists): https://open.spotify.com/user/mcafeecanada/playlist/4Q2Mcjg8OeAyKhiBaQrKGO
• Musician Avril Lavigne ranked No. 1 on the McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities™ 2017 U.S. study; Mendes ranked No. 1 in the Canadian results
• Study reveals which celebrities generate the most dangerous results that could expose consumers to malicious websites and malware
• Searching for "Celebrity Name + free mp3" generated the most potentially malicious websites and helped musicians dominate the list

MARKHAM, ON, Sept. 19, 2017 /CNW/ - Shawn Mendes has displaced Justin Bieber as the most dangerous celebrity for Canadians to search for online. For the eleventh year in a row, McAfee researched famous individuals to reveal the riskiest celebrity to search for online. While the list has historically included a mix of musicians, actors and TV hosts, this year's research identified musicians exclusively as the "most dangerous" in both Canadian and global results. The research reveals which celebrities generate the riskiest search results that could potentially expose their fans to malicious websites.

Canada's Most Dangerous Celebrities are all musicians, with Shawn Mendes leading the pack at No. 1 in his debut on the list. Singer and songwriter Mendes sparked his career by posting song covers on Vine in 2013. Since then he's released two albums that both debuted on at number one at U.S. Billboard 200. Several musicians returned after earlier appearances, including Justin Bieber (No. 2), Avril Lavigne (No. 3), and Drake (No. 6). Rounding out the list are Celine Dion (No. 4), Carly Rae Jepsen (No. 5), and Alessia Cara (No. 7).

In the U.S., Avril Lavigne topped the list. She's sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, and is the second best-selling female artist in Canada of all time. Today, Lavigne adds "first female musician to take the No. 1 spot on the McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities study" to her achievements. Lavigne was ranked number two in 2013 finishing behind Lily Collins on the list. Bruno Mars (No. 2) made his debut this year in second place followed closely behind by Carly Rae Jepsen (No. 3). Musicians Zayn Malik (No. 4), Celine Dion (No. 5), Calvin Harris (No. 6), Justin Bieber (No. 7), Diddy (No. 8), Katy Perry (No. 9) and Beyoncé (No. 10) round out the rest of the U.S. top 10 list.

Cybercriminals continue to use the fascination of consumers with celebrity culture to drive unsuspecting users to potentially malicious websites that can be used to install malware, steal personal information and even passwords.

"In today's digital world, we want the latest hit albums, videos, movies and more, immediately available on our devices," said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at McAfee. "Consumers often prioritize their convenience over security by engaging in risky behaviour like clicking on suspicious links that promise the latest content from celebrities. It's imperative that they slow down and consider the risks associated with searching for downloadable content. Thinking before clicking goes a long way to stay safe online."

Searching for "Avril Lavigne free mp3" Results in a 22% Chance of Landing on a Malicious Website

The global music market grew nearly 6% in 2016, so it's clear that music continues to be a big part of the daily lives of consumers, and as a result, no surprise that the top 10 celebrities are from the music industry. As artists go on tour, and release new albums and songs, the appetite for more content from these singer-songwriters continues to grow.

The top Canadian celebrities from this year's study with the highest risk percentage are:

The top 10 celebrities from this year's U.S. study with the highest risk percentage are:

How to Search Safely

• Be careful what you click. Are you looking for a sneak-peak at new material from Shawn Mendes? It's better to wait for an official release than to visit a third-party website that could contain malware.
• Searching for free MP3s? Watch out! Searching for "free MP3" returned the highest number of risky websites, so it's important for consumers to be vigilant and ensure they are searching safely.
• Browse with security protection like McAfee WebAdvisor. This McAfee tool can help keep you safe by identifying malicious websites and warning the user before they click. Download this free tool here: https://mcafee.com/mcafeewebadvisor.
• Use cross-device protection. As our daily activities become more ingrained in our digital lives it's important to keep everything protected. A comprehensive security solution, like McAfee Total Protection, can help ensure that your devices are protected against malware, phishing attacks and device-specific protection in the event of loss or theft.

For More Information:

• To learn more about the study, check out:
• Blog post from Gary Davis: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/consumer/most-dangerous-celebrities-2017/
• Twitter: Follow @McAfee_Home for online safety tips, and use the hashtag #RiskyCeleb to discuss the Most Dangerous Celebrities of 2017

Survey Methodology

McAfee conducted the study using McAfee WebAdvisor site ratings to determine the number of risky websites generated by searches on Google*, Bing* and Yahoo!*, that included a celebrity name and search terms likely to yield potentially malicious websites in the results. An overall risk percentage was calculated for each celebrity using the total number of risky websites divided by the number of search results returned. "Most dangerous" really means that these celebrities are likely popular search subjects.

The Canadian survey relied on searches conducted on search engines with the .ca domain, while the U.S. survey used search engines with the .com domain.

Search terms included:

• "Celebrity Name + free torrent"
• "Celebrity Name + free mp4"
• "Celebrity Name + free mp3"

About McAfee
McAfee is one of the world's leading independent cybersecurity companies. Inspired by the power of working together, McAfee creates business and consumer solutions that make the world a safer place. www.mcafee.com

McAfee, the McAfee logo, and McAfee LiveSafe, are trademarks or registered trademarks of McAfee LLC or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

SOURCE McAfee

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