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Hacker Who Leaked Celebrities' Personal Photos Gets 8 Months in Prison

Hacker Who Leaked Celebrities' Personal Photos Gets 8 Months in Prison

Aug 31, 2018
George Garofano (left) The fourth celebrity hacker—who was charged earlier this year with hacking into over 250 Apple iCloud accounts belonged to Jennifer Lawrence and other Hollywood celebrities—has been sentenced to eight months in prison. Earlier this year, George Garofano, 26, of North Branford, admitted to illegally obtaining credentials of his victims' iCloud accounts using a phishing scheme, carried out from April 2013 to October 2014, in which he posed as a member of Apple's security team and tricked victims into revealing their iCloud credentials. Using stolen credentials, Garofano then managed to steal victims' personal information, including their sensitive and intimate photographs and videos, from their iCloud accounts, and then leaked them on online forums, like 4Chan. Among the victims were Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Kardashian , Kirsten Dunst, Kate Upton, American Olympic gold medallist Misty May Treanor and actors Alexandra Chando, Kelli Garner and...
Fourth Fappening Hacker Admits to Stealing Celebrity Pics From iCloud Accounts

Fourth Fappening Hacker Admits to Stealing Celebrity Pics From iCloud Accounts

Jan 13, 2018
Almost three years after the massive leakage of high-profile celebrities' photos—well known as " The Fappening " or " Celebgate " scandal—a fourth hacker has been charged with hacking into over 250 Apple iCloud accounts belonged to Hollywood celebrities. A federal court has accused George Garofano , 26, of North Branford, of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, who had been arrested by the FBI. Garofano has admitted to illegally obtaining credentials for his victims' iCloud accounts using a phishing scheme, which eventually allowed him to steal personal information on his victims, including sensitive and private photographs and videos. Among celebrities whose photographs were posted online back in 2014 are Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Kardashian, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Upton. Also, female victims also include American Olympic gold medallist Misty May Treanor and actors Alexandra Chando, Kelli Garner and Lauren O'Neil. Between April 2013 to Oct...
Want to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management? Start Here!

Want to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management? Start Here!

Dec 05, 2024Attack Surface / Exposure Management
Vulnerability Management (VM) has long been a cornerstone of organizational cybersecurity. Nearly as old as the discipline of cybersecurity itself, it aims to help organizations identify and address potential security issues before they become serious problems. Yet, in recent years, the limitations of this approach have become increasingly evident.  At its core, Vulnerability Management processes remain essential for identifying and addressing weaknesses. But as time marches on and attack avenues evolve, this approach is beginning to show its age. In a recent report, How to Grow Vulnerability Management into Exposure Management (Gartner, How to Grow Vulnerability Management Into Exposure Management, 8 November 2024, Mitchell Schneider Et Al.), we believe Gartner® addresses this point precisely and demonstrates how organizations can – and must – shift from a vulnerability-centric strategy to a broader Exposure Management (EM) framework. We feel it's more than a worthwhile read an...
Searching for Leaked Celebrity Photos? Don't Blindly Click that Fappening Link!

Searching for Leaked Celebrity Photos? Don't Blindly Click that Fappening Link!

Mar 21, 2017
Are you curiously googling or searching torrents for photos or videos of Emma Watson, Amanda Seyfried, Rose McGowan, or any other celebrities leaked in The Fappenning 2.0 ? If yes, then beware, you should not click any link promising Fappenning celebrity photos . Cybercriminals often take advantage of news headlines in order to trap victims and trick them into following links that may lead to websites containing malware or survey scams. Last week, a few private photos of Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried — ranging from regular selfies to explicitly sexual photos — were circulating on the Internet forums, including Reddit and 4chan, with UK's TV presenter Holly Willoughby and US actor Rose McGowan among the latest alleged victims. Now, according to the security researchers from MalwareBytes, scammers are exploiting this new batch of leaked celebrity photos and videos by using their stolen selfies to lure victims on social media sites and making dollars. Also Read: Hacke...
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It's Fappening Again! Private Photos of Emma Watson and Others Leaked Online

It's Fappening Again! Private Photos of Emma Watson and Others Leaked Online

Mar 16, 2017
Are you clicking selfies? That is fine and not any criminal act, but this act can land you in trouble — here's how! Almost three years after a wave of private photographs of celebrities leaked online, "The Fappening 2.0" appears to be underway with the circulation of alleged naked pictures of female celebrities, including Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried on Reddit and 4chan. Back in 2014, anonymous hackers flooded the Internet with private photographs of major celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence , Kim Kardashian , Kate Upton and Kirsten Dunst by hacking thousands of Apple's iCloud accounts . The Fappening hackers have since been sent to prison . The Fappening 2.0: It's Happening Again! However, in the latest leak, which has been heralded online as "The Fappening 2.0," the personal photographs of Amanda Seyfried and Emma Watson — ranging from regular selfies to explicitly sexual photos — have been leaking online since Tuesday night. ...
Hacker who stole Celebrity Emails, Tapes, Movie Scripts Gets 5 Years in Prison

Hacker who stole Celebrity Emails, Tapes, Movie Scripts Gets 5 Years in Prison

Dec 07, 2016
A hacker who was arrested last year for hacking into celebrities' email accounts to steal the unreleased movie and television scripts, their private messages, and tapes to sell them has finally been sentenced five years in prison. Alonzo Knowles , a 24-year-old Bahamian man, was convicted by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer in Manhattan on Tuesday. Knowles, who maintained a list of emails and phone numbers of 130 celebrities, pleaded guilty in May to charges of identity theft and criminal copyright infringement. The sentence is twice longer than the amount of years the federal sentencing guidelines suggested, as the judge felt that Knowles "would be a clear and present danger to commit the very same crime again," the New York Times reports . The hacker expressed remorse in court and had already handed over unreleased scripts, songs, and $1,900 in cash. The authorities arrested Knowles late December and seized his laptop that was later destroyed by inv...
'Celebgate' Hacker Gets 18 Months in Prison for Hacking Celebrity Photos

'Celebgate' Hacker Gets 18 Months in Prison for Hacking Celebrity Photos

Oct 28, 2016
The hacker who stole photographs of female celebrities two years ago in a massive data breach — famous as " The Fappening " or "Celebgate" scandal — has finally been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, authorities said on Thursday. 36-year-old Lancaster, Pennsylvania man Ryan Collins was arrested in March and charged with hacking into "at least 50 iCloud accounts and 72 Gmail accounts," most of which owned by Hollywood stars, including Jennifer Lawrence, Kim Kardashian, and Kate Upton. Now, a judge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday sentenced Collins to 18 months in federal prison after violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Here's How Collins Stole Celebrities' Photos Federal prosecutors said Collins ran phishing scheme between November 2012 and September 2014 and hijacked more than 100 people using fake emails disguised as official notifications from Google and Apple, asking victims for their account credentials. ...
FBI Has Named Hacker allegedly responsible for The Fappening Leaks

FBI Has Named Hacker allegedly responsible for The Fappening Leaks

Jan 18, 2016
Remember The Fappening incident? Took place in mid-2014, in the incident, anonymous hackers flooded the Internet with private photographs of major celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence , Kim Kardashian , Kate Upton and Kirsten Dunst. The Fappening was the result of the hack of thousands of Apple's iCloud accounts, including those belonging to Hollywood actresses, models and major celebrities. Main Culprit Behind The Fappening However, now two years later, new court documents reveal the name of the FBI's top suspected hacker: Ed Majerczyk . In October of 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the home of Ed Majerczyk, a Chicago man believed to be the chief culprit behind a series of 2014 leaked celebrity photos that came to be known as ' The Fappening ' or ' Celebgate '. The man allegedly suspected of illegally accessing iCloud accounts from his home in Chicago. Also, the FBI found some sexual photographs lifted from...
130 Celebrities' Email Accounts Hacked; Hacker Stole Movie Scripts and Tapes

130 Celebrities' Email Accounts Hacked; Hacker Stole Movie Scripts and Tapes

Dec 23, 2015
Breaking News: A 23-year-old Bahamian man has been arrested and charged with hacking into the email accounts of 130 celebrities and stealing the unreleased movie and TV scripts, tapes, explicit images and even the upcoming album of a famous A-List Celebrity . The hacker named Alonzo Knowles contacted a famous radio host to sell the stolen scripts for the first six episodes of a hit television drama currently being filmed. The unnamed host informed about it to the Homeland Security that cooked up a sting operation and had the radio host put the hacker in touch with an undercover investigator posing as an interested buyer. The LOSE Among the items he offered to sell were: Scripts for three comedy films A hip-hop biopic Another television show Social Security numbers for actors and professional athletes Emails and phone numbers of at least 130 celebrities Tapes of celebrities The hacker was arrested on Monday in Manhattan, a day after arriving from the B...
More Celebrity Photos Leaked — Kim Kardashian and Others Targeted

More Celebrity Photos Leaked — Kim Kardashian and Others Targeted

Sep 21, 2014
So far people have not forgotten about the recent celebrity iCloud hacking scandal , a new wave of photographs of celebrities have been leaked in what appears to be the second edition of the massive leak related to the celebrities intimate-images on Internet earlier this month. Among the victims of the most recent leak were reality television star Kim Kardashian , 33, actor Vanessa Hudgens , 25, and U.S. national women's soccer team goalie Hope Solo , 33. Mary-Kate Olsen, Avril Lavigne, Hayden Panettiere, Lake Bell, Leelee Sobieski and former Disney stars Aly and AJ Michalka are other potential victims of this hacking scandal. A video of Aubrey Plaza and previously unreleased photographs of celebrities included in the last leak, such as Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence and The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco , were also released with the recent privacy breach . The leaked Celebrity Photos first appeared Saturday morning on the image-sharing site 4Chan and were also post...
Reported Apple iCloud Hack Leaked Hundreds of Celebrity Photos

Reported Apple iCloud Hack Leaked Hundreds of Celebrity Photos

Sep 02, 2014
Now this gonna be the height of Privacy Breach! Images of several high-profile persona including actors, models, singers and presenters have been made available online in a blatant hacking leak linked to the Apple iCloud service. The recent privacy breach appears to be one of the biggest celebrity privacy breaches in history and represents a serious offense and violation of privacy. A hacker allegedly breached Apple's iCloud service and copied the personal photos of at least 100 high-profile stars. WHO IS BEHIND IT The anonymous hacker, using the name Tristan , sparked the scandal on Sunday after dumping a large cache of female celebrities' alleged naked photographs onto the 4chan online forum, an online message board used for sharing pictures. The list of those celebrities allegedly affected, whose photographs are supposedly in this cache, is very long that includes Jenny McCarthy, Rihanna, Kristin Dunst, Kate Upton, the American actress Mary E Winstead , and the...
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