If you’re a Taylor Swift fan like me, it’s hard to look away from clickbait. Although we want to know what’s up with Taylor, clicking on “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engaged!?” can be an unintentional cyber risk to Swifties. 

Courtesy of Chariah Gordon/Instagram

A recently published article claims that 79 percent of websites that appear on search engines when someone searches for Taylor Swift contain potential malware. 

Education of cyber best practices is key 

Malware that rides on celebrity coattails is nothing new, but super-celebrities that go into the stratosphere like Taylor Swift and Beyonce give the threat a new urgency among cybercriminals. 

Like so many threats, education is the most effective weapon for organizations to combat celebrity malware. There have been workplace networks breached because someone has searched for a celebrity name, and the results can be costly if they click on the wrong thing. More needs to be done about the risks of searching and clicking on the wrong links. This comes down to smart searching and following best practices. 

Increase in remote work, increase in clicks 

When everyone worked at the office, there was better self-policing of frivolous searches, but with so many people working remotely, people feel freer at home. 

Credential and password theft, data pilfering, and ransomware viruses can all be payloads of celebrity-associated malware. Spyware is another threat because of its ability to stealthily collect data. But plenty of other threats could be associated with your favorite celebrity. 

Guarding against celebrity-infused ransomware 

The most significant threat often associated with celebrity-infused malware is ransomware. Organizations that already have to navigate constantly changing laws, regulations, software options, and cybercriminal tactics should also stay on top of the latest entertainment trends.  

Such education should focus on informing workers about phishing emails, fake websites, and social media posts that exploit Swift’s popularity to trick victims into revealing personal information or downloading malicious software. 

McAfee recently released a list of celebrity searches most associated with malware, which include: 

1. Ryan Gosling 

1. Emily Blunt 

1. Jennifer Lopez 

1. Zendaya 

1. Kevin Costner 

1. Elon Musk 

1. Al Roker 

1. Margot Robbie 

1. Bad Bunny 

1. America Ferrera 

Cybercriminals follow the same celebrities everyone else does, but that can be subjective. Strengthen your security with Access Tech, where we have been helping companies for years protect their data.