Reality star Kim Kardashian has been named the most dangerous celebrity to search for online in 2018 by cybersecurity firm McAfee.

Kardashian replaces singer Craig David at the top of the annual list, which measures how many search results featuring a celebrity’s name contain links to potentially malicious websites.

Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian topped the list (Francis Specker/PA)

Supermodel Naomi Campbell was second on the list, ahead of Kim’s sister Kourtney Kardashian, with Adele and Love Island host Caroline Flack completing the top five.

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

Actress Rose Byrne was in sixth place, ahead of 2017 Love Island winner Kem Cetinay – the only man to make the top ten.

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

(Ian West/PA)
Love Island 2017 winner Kem was the only man to make the top ten (Ian West/PA)

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.