It might be wise to think twice before you try to watch a Barbenheimer double feature on a less-than-trustworthy website.
That’s based on a new report from McAfee Labs, which tracked celebrities whose names most often lead unsuspecting internet searchers to online scams. These tricks tend to encourage users to click on fake links that then install malware on their devices. McAfee’s 2023 “Hacker Celebrity Hot List” slots Barbie’s Ryan Gosling in first place and Oppenheimer star Emily Blunt in second.
Hackers seem to have identified Barbie as one of the most popular candidates for these kinds of scams, considering that Gosling’s costars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera also rank among the Top 10. In fact, a separate McAfee report published in July found that Barbie-related malware was on the rise, including scams that lured fans in with fake videos and download links.
According to Steve Grobman, McAfee’s chief technology officer, the trend reflects a larger issue with today’s consumption of celebrity news.
“People are putting speed and convenience over their own online protection by clicking on pop-ups and other suspicious links that promise celebrity-filled content,” Grobman said in the Celebrity Hot List release. “We also know people are seeking out free content, such as movie downloads, which puts them at risk. If it sounds too good to be true, it deserves a closer look.”
Cybercriminals capitalize most on the stars of the moment who have managed to capture public fascination—meaning that McAfee’s report, which has been published for the past 15 years, is always in flux. Other celebrities on the 2023 list include Jennifer Lopez, Elon Musk, Kevin Costner, and Bad Bunny. This year’s research also had to account for a cybersecurity landscape that has been majorly impacted by AI. As deepfake tech becomes more convincing, the lab warns that a rise in misinformation and scams is imminent.
The report also comes as a new wave of Gen Z hackers are capitalizing on rapidly improving tech capabilities. A group known as Scattered Spider, believed to be composed of 17-to-22-year-olds, has been staging cyberattacks on companies including Clorox, MGM Resorts, and Caesars Entertainment for the past several months.
While these kinds of breaches on large organizations can be tougher to prevent, there are plenty of steps that the average internet user can take to protect their data. McAfee lists four key principles to remember: Be careful what you click; refrain from illegal streaming and downloading suspicious MP3s; only download videos from well-known, legitimate sites; and don’t “log in” or provide other information.
For Barbie fans, that means streaming on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Apple TV, Vudu, or a similar platform. And it’ll be another month before a legitimate Barbenheimer double feature is possible from your couch—Oppenheimer’s (non-pirated) digital release is set for November 21.
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