There is no doubt that Heidi Klum is pretty, sexy and has replaced Cameron Diaz as the most dangerous celebrity to search for on the web, according to the McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities. Piers Morgan is third in case you’re interested.

The Internet security company McAfee made the pronouncement after researching popular culture’s most famous people to reveal the riskiest celebrity athletes, musicians, politicians, comedians and Hollywood stars on the web.

The study found movie stars and models as the “most dangerous” this year while singers and sports stars are among the safest.

Fans searching for “Heidi Klum and downloads,” “Heidi Klum and ‘free’ downloads,” “Heidi Klum and screensavers,” “Heidi Klum and hot pictures” and “Heidi Klum and videos” are at risk of running into online threats designed to steal personal information. Clicking on these risky sites and downloading files like photos, videos or screensavers exposes surfers or consumers to the risk of downloading viruses and malware.

McAfee’s research revealed that Heidi Klum searches yield nearly a one-in-ten chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.

In warning people. Paula Greve, director of Web security research at McAfee, said:

“While slightly safer than last year, searching for top celebrities continues to generate risky results. Consumers should be particularly aware of malicious content hiding in ‘tiny’ places like shortened URLs that can spread virally in social networking sites, or through e-mails and text messages from friends.”

Cybercriminals often use the names of popular celebrities to lure people to sites that are actually filled with malicious software. Unless you can’t live without Heidi or Cameron (forget about Piers Morgan)

Rounding off the top ten list of the McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities:

1. Heidi Klum
2. Cameron Diaz
3. Piers Morgan
4. Jessica Biel
5. Katherine Heigl
6. Mila Kunis
7. Anna Paquin
8. Adriana Lima
9. Scarlett Johansson
10. Brad Pitt
10. Emma Stone
10. Rachel McAdams

Heidi Klum Named Most Dangerous Celebrity in Cyberspace (Topples Cameron Diaz) is a post from: The Inquisitr

I am not fan of McAfee, or Norton, security products due to the fact I consider them to be some of the biggest purveyors of bloated software to inhabit the security software business. Now I realize that it is a little hard to fatten up an URL shortening service so hope remains that McAfee’s newest service, McAf.ee URL shortener, will be able to remain on a diet.

While it may seem a little strange to have a security company like McAfee’s branch out into this are is does kind of make sense when you think about. Given that as shortened URL proliferate throughout the web they are increasingly being used to direct innocent users to sites that serve up all kinds of malware.

It was this reasoning of keeping users safe that got McAfee’s going down this route.

To help ease the minds of those who may be clicking on shortened URLs, computer security firm McAfee is offering its own URL-shortening service called McAf.ee.

The service will shorten URLs right away–without scanning them to make sure that the linked-to site is secure–but when a user clicks on a McAf.ee link, the security firm will examine the destination to determine if it’s likely safe. The company will use some of the same databases it uses for its SiteAdvisor service and other security products to help ensure that the destination isn’t malicious or spammy.

In an interview (scroll down for podcast), McAfee Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Simon Hunt said, “It seemed to us pretty obvious that we could offer this kind of service with a level of confidence beyond just, ‘click here and hope.’” McAf.ee, he hopes, will be adopted by those who want to reassure users that their shortened links are safe to click on.

Source: CNET News

McAfee to launch URL shortener – no word yet on bloat is a post from: The Inquisitr

‘We designed HUNTSMAN to provide higher security intelligence with improved threat visibility, greater context and superior protection for the entire IT environment,’ said Peter Woollacott, Tier-3’s CEO: ‘For McAfee to welcome us into SIA is gratifying for us and beneficial to our customers.’

As part of its participation in the SIA program, Tier-3 will integrate the HUNTSMAN suite with the McAfeeÒ ePolicy OrchestratorÒ (ePO™) platform to deliver data protection and integrated security management for environments not currently addressed by the ePO software. When this integration is completed, ePO software users will be able to extend monitoring and alerting capabilities to other proprietary environments, creating a true heterogeneous solution and eliminating the information silos which allow vulnerabilities to be exploited.

‘We are pleased to add Tier-3 to the McAfee Security Innovation Alliance,’ said Ed Barry, senior director of the Security Innovation Alliance, McAfee. ‘Our customers face growing challenges to secure their networks and maintain compliance, and the management of Tier-3’s HUNTSMAN using McAfee ePO will improve the visibility of threats, allowing network administrators to perform faster and more accurate incident response on endpoint assets .’

‘The array of complex security challenges facing organizations today,’ explains Woollacott, ‘demands closer co-operation between security vendors and companies like Tier-3 who’ve developed innovative solutions to address the constantly evolving threat landscape. McAfee’s Security Innovation Alliance is a big step in that direction, and we look forward to closer technical co-operation with McAfee.’

Tier-3 joins McAfee Security Innovation Alliance is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yes folks you heard it here, and probably a whole bunch of other places by now, but I would let that stop me from doing my best netizen civic duty. You see McAfee has just published their quarterly Threat Report (pdf) which surprise surprise lets us know that spam now accounts for 92% of all email. While no-one would want to suggest that this kind of report is a benefit to them and their sales of security software they do say that this is an all-time record.

Not to point any fingers of course but the United States heads the top of the list, at 34.3%, of countries producing all this spam that McAfee just happens to sell a product to fight. As well the repost also shows that the top subject of this massive increase of spam, at 31.2%, is big dicks and the drugs that will help you achieve this momentous physical achievement.

Just so you know that I’m not jerking you around here’s some nifty breakdown charts for you to peruse as you rush over to the McAfee site to buy the newest overpriced piece of bloated security software.

Spam by Subject

Spam by Country

a big hat tip and thanks to TheNextWeb.com for saving me the irritation of having to read the report in order to get these charts for you.

Yet another DUH! report – spam accounts for 92% of all email is a post from: The Inquisitr

The company, fresh off its failed merger talks with Microsoft, launched its new SearchScan program today. The program uses McAfee’s SiteAdvisor technology to filter search results and alert you when it finds a potentially dangerous site.

“Our goal is to protect users by allowing them to make a more informed decision about the websites they visit,” Product Managers Priyank Garg and Graham Mudd explained in their blog.

The new utility will automatically remove sites that are flagged for installing malware on visitors’ computers. Sites that are known for only offering the option to download problematic programs will still be listed, but with a stern warning. The same goes for sites that may sell your email address and send you into spam hell.

“By displaying prominent warnings next to search results for sites with potentially dangerous downloads or unsavory email practices, users are aware that while visiting the site may be safe, downloading a file or sharing an email address could be risky,” Garg and Mudd wrote.

I gave the program a whirl, and while its spam warning results may not be all-inclusive, it definitely does some good. A search for “free money” turned up one warning for unsolicited email danger. I had a hard time getting more than one or two warnings in any search, though, no matter how many obvious spam-centric sites I saw in the results.

The SearchScan option will now be turned on by default for all Yahoo! users. You can choose to deactivate it by checking off a tab in your preferences.

Yahoo! Puts On Protection is a post from: The Inquisitr