Kim Kardashian named ‘most dangerous’ celebrity to search for online

Kim Kardashian has been named as the most dangerous celebrity to search for online by cybersecurity firm McAfee.

The reality megastar replaces singer Craig David at the top of the company’s annual list, which also featured her sister Kourtney Kardashian and supermodel Naomi Campbell.

The list measures how many search results featuring a celebrity’s name contain links to potentially malicious websites used to install malware on computers.

Adele and Love Island host Caroline Flack also made the top five in the 2018 list. Actress Rose Byrne was in sixth ahead of 2017 Love Island winner Kem Cetinay.

Britney Spears, actress Emma Roberts and reality star Ferne McCann completed the top ten.

McAfee said cybercriminals are known to use the allure of celebrities to trick internet users into clicking on links which lead to malicious sites used to install malware or steal personal information.

McAfee fellow and chief scientist Raj Samani said: "We live in a fast-paced world that's heavily influenced by pop culture and social media, with endless opportunities to pick and choose which entertainment options we prefer to enjoy from a variety of connected devices.

"With Kim Kardashian's influence and business ventures, people will go to extreme lengths to be a little more like Kim.

"In our hyper-connected world, it's important for consumers to think before they click to be sure that they are surfing to safe digital content and protecting themselves from cybersecurity threats that may be used to infect their devices or steal their identity."

Alongside its list, the cybersecurity firm also published advice on how to stay safe online, urging the public to only stream video from reliable, paid-for sources and only clicking on news stories from sources the user trusts.

The firm also urged users to keep their apps and anti-virus software up to date, as failing to do so can leave systems vulnerable to attack.