Jessica Biel Top Web Security Threat

Brad Pitt, your time as a Web icon, at least among malcontents, is up. Fellow actor Jessica Biel is in the headlines this morning as the "most dangerous" celebrity to search about when it comes to online activity.

That's the focus of a new McAfee security research report released today. Online searches for anything related to Biel has a one in five chance of bringing the user to a site that's loaded with malware, spam and phishing scams.

Apparently those with bad intentions realize that a great way to steal, extort or just cause havoc on the Internet is to load up sites offering free things like screen savers and downloads tied to hot celebrities. The bad guys use the search result pages as a way to gain access to PCs and ignite malware blitzes.

While Biel reigns as the favorite in this year's study, the third annual one the security research firm has released, Beyonce remains in second place with Jennifer Aniston in third. Pitt, who held the top spot last year, is now in 10th place. Football player Tom Brady is in fourth, followed by Jessica Simpson and model Gisele Bundchen.

“Cybercriminals are star watchers too — they latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise,” said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Avert Labs, in a press statement. “Consumers’ obsession with celebrity news and culture is harmless in theory, but one bad download can cause a lot of damage to a computer.”

Photo courtesy of BusinessWire/McAfee