Graham Norton is the most dangerous celebrity to search for online - here’s why

Norton’s name ranked as the riskiest due to search results potentially leading internet users to installing malware on their devices without releasing (Photo: Shutterstock)Norton’s name ranked as the riskiest due to search results potentially leading internet users to installing malware on their devices without releasing (Photo: Shutterstock)
Norton’s name ranked as the riskiest due to search results potentially leading internet users to installing malware on their devices without releasing (Photo: Shutterstock)

TV presenter Graham Norton has been named as the most dangerous celebrity to search for online.

Norton’s name ranked as the riskiest due to search results potentially leading internet users to installing malware on their devices without releasing. Research by cybersecurity firm McAfee has found that Norton’s name came ahead of comedian Ricky Gervais and actor Tom Hardy.

This is because cybercriminals tend to use the names of celebrities or popular topics to entice web users to click on harmful links. This can result in viruses being installed on someone’s device, and personal data being harvested.

Raj Samani, chief scientist and McAfee Fellow, said, “We know that online criminals use consumers’ fascination with celebrity culture to drive unsuspecting fans to malicious websites that install malware on their devices, potentially putting personal information and log-in details in the wrong hands, so it’s no surprise that we’ve seen one of the UK’s most-loved national treasures topping the list, with hackers exploiting his popularity.”

Which other celebrities are on the list?

The research carried out by McAfee looked at the celebrity names which most commonly appeared alongside search terms such as “torrent”, “free mp3”, “nudes” or “pirated download.”

The cybersecurity company’s annual report found that the names of famous UK personalities were a popular choice for scams this year, with Gervais and Hardy ranking second and third respectively, Ruth Jones coming fourth and Sir Mick Jagger as fifth.

Australian actor Margot Robbie was named sixth on the list for names being used by cyber criminals to entice web users, with Idris Elba seventh ahead of Kate Moss and American model Bella Hadid, with UK baking legend Mary Berry ranking 10th on the list.

McAfee encouraged internet users to be careful when clicking links, and also to refrain from using illegal streaming sites.