Nude photos of Hollywood film star Scarlett Johansson appeared online this week, adding yet another name to a growing list of Hollywood celebrities who have had sensitive data and photos stolen from personal computers, cell phones, e-mail and Twitter accounts in a wide ranging campaign of targeted hacks.
The Los Angeles bureau of the FBI said it is investigating a “person or group responsible for computer intrusions of high profile figures,” according to Ari DeKofsky, an FBI spokesperson. The agency declined to comment further, including naming Johansson as a victim, citing the ongoing investigation.
The leak of two photos of Johansson unclothed were posted on Wednesday. They are believed to be related to an attack in March that also yielded nude photos of actress Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame. Johansson was named as another victim at the time by those who claimed responsibility for the hack. Other recent incidents of stars being targeted have involved private photos of Selina Gomez, Miley Cyrus and others.
In the case of Hudgens, hackers are believed to have grabbed the photos from the actor’s Gmail account. It is not known how the Johansson photos were obtained, though attorneys for Johansson were moving quickly to force Web sites that posted the photos to remove them.
The Web site eonline.com posted a copy of a cease and desist letter purporting to come from the firm Lavely & Singer on behalf of the actress to Websites including thedirty.com, for violations of Johansson’s copyright of the photos and of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act.
The group Anonymous has also set up shop in La La Land in recent weeks, claiming responsibility for a series of leaks of confidential information including celebrities’ phone numbers, unreleased movie scripts and nude photos.
According to a report on CSO’s Australian site, the offshoot group, calling itself “Hollywood Leaks,” has been distributing its leaks via the Twitter account HWLeaks. Anonymous’ motto, “We do not forgive, we do not forget, expect us,” rounds out the profile.
