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LEARN MOREPosted: 6:42 p.m. EDT Sep 21, 2017
Avril Lavigne is this year's "Most Dangerous Celebrity," and it's not even because she wants to steal your boyfriend.
According to cybersecurity firm McAfee, the pop-punk musician is dangerous to search for online.
McAfee gives two possible reasons for this: the first is an internet conspiracy theory that claims Lavigne was replaced by an impostor. The second involves her upcoming new music.
Search results for new — and free — music lead to higher risk rates. For example, searching for "Avril Lavigne" results in a risk percentage of almost 15 percent. Searching "Avril Lavigne free mp3" increases that risk to nearly 22 percent.
See, hackers understand people are willing to use illegal streaming options to get free music. They'll dress up links like they're something else, hiding them in the search results for phrases like "free torrent" or "free mp3."
Gary Davis, McAfee's chief consumer security evangelist, said, "Consumers often prioritize their convenience over security by engaging in risky behavior like clicking on suspicious links that promise the latest content from celebrities."
A survey from 2016 found that 35 percent of people polled said they'd accessed copyright-infringing music over a six-month period.
And illegal streaming goes beyond music. A study from this year reported that more than 50 percent of the millennials surveyed used illegal streaming platforms to watch a TV show or movie. More than 90 percent of those surveyed said they don't even feel guilty about it.
Likewise, Lavigne probably won't feel guilty about the risks of searching for her online — she could even take it as an accomplishment. McAfee notes she's the first female musician to ever take the No. 1 spot on the company's annual "Most Dangerous Celebrities" list.
