Phone hacking: The Anonymous intruder

Phone hackers terrorise female celebrities’ by leaking their photos on websites.

Scarlett Johansson is feared to have become the latest victim of a phone hacking group called Anonymous. Celebrity gossip site Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ) reported in March that Johansson, along with other celebs, had her iPhone hacked in March.

AFP has reported that the exasperated actor called the FBI after nude photos of her stolen by hackers months ago were leaked on celebrity websites. The controversial photos, emerged on Wednesday. Phone hacking gang, Anonymous is said to have stolen photos and videos from up to 50 A-list stars and is FBI’s prime suspect in Johansson’s phone hacking mishap, according to TMZ.

An FBI spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that their Los Angeles branch “is investigating the person or group responsible for a series of computer intrusion involving high profile figures”.

According to a report on E! News, the Iron Man 2 star joins a long list of stars that are cooperating with the FBI to bust a celebrity hacking ring. The email accounts of as many as 50 celebs have been hacked, including Jessica Alba, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera, Ali Larter and Miley Cyrus.

Los Angeles-based FBI officer Laura Eimiller told AFP, that the official authorities are assuming the gang became active and started leaking photos of celebrities four years ago, when pictures of Vanessa Hudgens kissing another woman emerged online.  From the photos of Christiana Aguilera wearing revealing clothes to Justin Timberlake’s ‘seductive’ photos in Black Swan actor Mila Kunis’ phone, gossip site TMZ has been offered an array of embarrassing picture and videos by the hackers.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th,  2011.