AI/ML, Malware, Phishing

“Barbie” Star Ryan Gosling Tops Hacker Celebrity Hot List

Canadian actor Ryan Gosling ranked first on the 2023 Hacker Celebrity Hot List from antivirus software company McAfee. Gosling earned the top spot following the release of the "Barbie" film in July 2023.

Along with Gosling, "Barbie" stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrara made McAfee's Hacker Celebrity Hot List. Robbie ranked eighth on the list, and Ferrara ranked tenth.

Top 10 of McAfee's Hacker Celebrity Hot List

McAfee's Hacker Celebrity Hot List includes a mix of actors, actresses, singers and more. Here is a look at the top 10:

  1. Ryan Gosling
  2. Emily Blunt, an actress who starred in the "Oppenheimer" film that debuted the same day as "Barbie" in July 2023
  3. Jennifer Lopez, a singer, actress and producer
  4. Zendaya, an actress and singer
  5. Kevin Costner, an actor and director
  6. Elon Musk, a business magnate and tech entrepreneur
  7. Al Roker, a weather-caster, author and journalist
  8. Margot Robbie
  9. Bad Bunny, a rapper and singer
  10. America Ferrera

    11. McAfee's Hacker Celebrity Hot List includes celebrities whose names are most often exploited by scammers, the company said. These celebrity names are the ones most likely to lead people to malware or risky sites when they search online.

    Hackers Are Increasingly Using AI in Celebrity-Related Online Scams

    With artificial intelligence (AI), cybercriminals are able to initiate sophisticated online scams faster and more frequently than ever before, McAfee pointed out.

    Furthermore, "deepfakes" are becoming exceedingly common among cybercriminals, McAfee stated. Cybercriminals are using AI to produce deepfake content. Among its top 50 celebrity names used by cybercriminals, McAfee found that between 25 to 135 deepfake URLs per celebrity search.

    How to Protect Against Celebrity-Related Cyber Scams

    McAfee offers the following tips to protect against celebrity-related cyber scams:

    • Only click on links from reliable sources.
    • Avoid visiting third-party websites that could contain malware.
    • Avoid illegal streaming and downloading suspicious MP3s.
    • Only download videos from legitimate websites.
    • Do not provide account login, credit card or personal information to unknown sources.
    • Invest in identity, privacy, and device protection solutions.

      • MSSPs can teach their customers about the dangers associated with celebrity-related cyber scams and other security risks. They can also provide organizations with security services that they can use to protect themselves and their employees against cyberattacks and data breaches.

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      Dan Kobialka

      Dan Kobialka is senior contributing editor, MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E. He covers IT security, IT service provider business strategies and partner programs. Dan holds a M.A. in Print and Multimedia Journalism from Emerson College and a B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University. In his free time, Dan enjoys jogging, traveling, playing sports, touring breweries and watching football.

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