What we can learn from Celebrity Stalkers

Rihanna was basically discovered on YouTube. Had she stayed there, her psycho stalker would have never had any interest in her. People are just plain insane. But she’s famous, so Kevin McGlynn decided to send her threatening letters and lurk outside her home, says an article at reuters.com. He was committed to a mental facility. McGlynn, 54, has orders not to contact Rihanna in any way.

1SDJudge Orlando Marrazzo says that this guy believes that Rihanna and other stars have used his material for their songs. The judge says that McGlynn may be capable of killing Rihanna and anyone else in the way.

Not surprisingly, this guys lawyers won’t respond to comment requests. Maybe if McGlynn heard Rihanna’s cover of “Hero” when she was 15 years old, he’d instantly lose interest in her (no autotune!). But then maybe he’ll simply latch his obsession onto another celebrity.

Just how well is Rihanna’s mansion protected? With all the money she has, she can easily afford the world’s best security system: all the layers, inside and out. This would include shatter proof glass for every window and a team of 24-hour security guards. She can have barriers to her grounds created to prevent stalkers from lurking on the premises.

Of course, many “ordinary” people are victims of stalking, such as by ex-boyfriends. Even women commit stalking. The stalker could be a coworker, former spouse, secret admirer, anyone. How do you get rid of a stalker? Well, one thing’s for sure: If the stalker has nothing to fear from his victim, he’ll keep stalking.

First off, find out if you’re being stalked. Be acutely aware of your environment. Know who’s around you when shopping. Take note of cars behind you when driving. Pursue martial arts. Trade the crunch machine at the gym for the heavy bag (ever see avid heavy bag users who didn’t have great abs?).

Though a left hook or inside crescent kick won’t stop a bullet fired from 10 feet away, you can easily take out an unarmed stalker if you’re trained and he or she is not. Even if the stalker rushes you with a 2 x 4, you have an excellent chance of being victorious if you have enough self-defense training.

If you’re being stalked or suspect it, don’t waste another second with getting a complete home security system.

Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to BestHomeSecurityCompanys.com discussing burglar proofing your home on Fox Boston. Disclosures.

Tonight’s Special Guest: McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrity of 2014

After a long day of hard work, there’s nothing like coming home, throwing on some PJs, and watching some good old late night television. I love catching up on all the latest news and watching celebrities like Kaley Cuoco-Sweetin discuss the celebrity photo hack (what can I say? I’m a security junkie).

Dangerous Celebrity of 2014It seems like we’ve always had a fascination with the lives of the rich and famous. In the 1700s, people gathered to watch the every move of the King of France, from getting out of bed to changing his underwear. Page Six, the gossip column, used to be the must-read page in the New York Post. Now, in the age of social media, following our favorite celebrities’ comings and goings is even easier. All we have to do is go on Twitter to get the latest about Jayoncé.

Unfortunately, our obsession with celebrities can get us into trouble on the Web. Cybercriminals love to take advantage of our interest in celebrities for malicious means. They use hot celebrity news, like updates on Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes’ baby, along with the offer of free content to lure you to malicious sites that could steal your money or personal information or install malware.

There are some celebrities who are more likely to lead you to bad stuff than others. Today McAfee announced that Jimmy Kimmel, the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is the 2014 Most Dangerous Celebrity™. McAfee found that searching for the latest Jimmy Kimmel videos and downloads yields more than a 19.4% chance of landing on a website that tested positive for online threats.

Here are the rest of the celebrities that round out this year’s Top 10 Most Dangerous Celebrities list.

 

History tells us we probably aren’t going to get over our fascination with celebrities anytime soon. But there are some things you can do now to stay safe online while you’re reading about your favorite personalities.

  • Be suspicious. If a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary
  • Check the web address. Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe (for more on this, read my blog on typosquatting)
  • Search safely.Use a Web safety advisor, such as McAfee® SiteAdvisor® that displays a red, yellow, or green ratings in search results, alerting you to potential risky sites before you click on them
  • Protect yourself. Use comprehensive security software on all your devices, like McAfee LiveSafe™ service, to protect yourself against the latest threats

Help Spread the Word!
In order to continue to promote safe celebrity searching, McAfee will be running a sharing sweepstakes. Help others stay educated about staying safe online by sharing Most Dangerous Celebrities content and you could  win a Red Carpet Swag Bag that includes a Dell Venue™ 7 tablet, Beats Solo 2.0 HD headphones, a subscription to McAfee LiveSafe service along with other goodies. You must be 18 or older and reside in the United States in order to participate. Learn more here.

While it’s fine to get your fix of celebrity gossip , remember to be safe when doing so.

To learn more about Most Dangerous Celebrities, click here or read the press release, use the hashtag #RiskyCeleb on Twitter, follow @McAfeeConsumer or like McAfee on Facebook.

Robert Siciliano is an Online Security Expert to McAfee. He is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Mobile was Hacked!  Disclosures.