Ronaldo tops McAfee “Red Card Club”

According to McAfee, part of Intel Security, cybercriminals are most likely to use Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo to lure visitors to web pages designed to infect them with malware. The McAfee “Red Card Club” showcases the top eleven Brazil-bound players whose web pages are considered to be risky for fans to search for online. Following Ronaldo are Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Spain’s IkerCassillas, Brazil’s Neymar and Algeria’s KarimZiani.
As is common with other cultural sensations, cybercriminals leverage consumer interest in the world’s most popular sport to lure them to websites rigged with malware, malicious code capable of infecting a user’s machine and stealing passwords and personal information. McAfee researchers have used McAfeeSiteAdvisor site ratings to determine which sites are risky to search when coupled with footballer names and have calculated an overall risk percentage.
According to the research, fans run the greatest risk when visiting sites offering screensaver downloads and videos showcasing the extraordinary skills of the players. Searching for the latest Cristiano Ronaldo content yields more than a 3.7% chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.