NEW YORK ( MainStreet) -- Scarlett Johansson's leaked nude photos may be grabbing headlines, but rumors of her being hacked began to surface back in March, associated with the hacker ring believed to be behind 50 or so similar celebrity exploits. The group, calling itself Hollywood Leaks, even posted a YouTube video and since-deleted Twitter feed to brag about their conquests. The mission statement issued by the group, riddled with anti-Semitic and homophobic language, includes the following: "Attention Hollywood. We are Anonymous. We have been watching you. We have been listening to you. You have been allowed to run free too long. The time of Jew-controlled media is over. We are taking back the media with your
The heiress Hilton has been a gift that keeps on giving for the prying eyes of the Internet. For years, various images of her in compromising positions -- from a sex tape, to paparazzi-captured wardrobe malfunctions -- have gone viral. In 2005, her T-Mobile Sidekick (remember those?) was plundered and her entire contact list, including the phone numbers and email addresses for a variety of other celebrities, was posted online. The hacker, a Massachusetts teen, was later tracked down and confessed to the deed, getting 11 months' detention in a juvenile facility
Like many of the celebrities with leaked photos, the Gossip Girl star struck an all-too common pose -- an iPhone in one hand while making use of a nearby mirror. At least the assumption on the Internet was that it was Lively striking the raised-arm pose. Her reps have maintained that the pictures, which began flowing through cyberspace over the summer, are not her. The response, as least from one hacker who posted on a message board: "Oh, yes, Blake's rep. These are totally fake. We really, really believe you. Want moar?" (If you think that's a typo, you're over 30, not spending enough time online or both.) And, sure enough, additional pictures of a person who may or may not be named Blake followed.
The disgraced congressman with an unfortunately appropriate name was not among the victims of the hacker ring claiming responsibility for the onslaught of new celebrity skin. We had to mention him, however, for a reminder of his sheepish excuse when his unique way of polling the electorate was exposed: He initially explained it away as the work of hackers. As media scrutiny intensified, the New York Democrat was left fumbling for an excuse as to why he never made good on his threat to have police or the FBI investigate the security breach.
Kunis, a rising star who has gone from That '70s Show and the voice of Family Guy's Meg Griffin to an acclaimed performance in Black Swan, may have been more than just a recent co-star of Justin Timberlake. Along with a shot of the actress in a bathtub, a pilfered snapshot shows Timberlake bringing SexyBack with a pair of pink panties on his head. Fortunately for the frequent SNL host, there were no additional shots of him re-enacting his famous skit/viral video involving a box.
Hudgens, star of Disney's ( DIS) High School Musical trilogy, has been a popular target for hackers. A selection of pictures and videos, believed to have been snagged from her Gmail account, have caught the attention of FBI investigators.
Various sites on the Internet once had "countdown clocks" in anticipation of singer/actress/Disney princess Miley Cyrus' 18th birthday -- the assumption being that upon being "legal," nude photos were inevitable. They didn't have to wait long. In recent months, there have been a variety of paparazzi shots showing more than just what was under Hannah Montana's blonde wig. There has also been a regular infusion of allegedly stolen pictures. Some of the claimed hacks are probably not even Cyrus. Others, however, may indicate that a Party in the U.S.A. involves wet, white T-shirts and plenty of self-shots in underwear. It's enough to cause a dad an achy, breaky heart.
Aside from Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens, a variety of other Disney Channel stars are rumored to have been targeted by the latest batch of celebrity hacks. Demi Lovato, who starred in the sitcom Sonny With a Chance before entering rehab, is among those rumored to have had her phone or Twitter account compromised. Selena Gomez (star of Wizards of Waverly Place and current Justin Bieber arm candy) may be another victim, according to rumors. A video that recently made the rounds showed a hacker guiding viewers step by step as he hacked into Gomez' Facebook account (he claimed to have done so for "educational purposes" with no intention of stealing from the page or altering it). Her Twitter account had also been the successful target of another hacker, who posted "Oh Yeh, JUSTIN BIEBER SUCKS!" as a fake official message.
Once upon a time, Christina Aguilera was no stranger to showing a little skin, notably in a racy spread for Maxim magazine and the aptly named video for the song Dirrty. Her recent stab at mainstream respectability, as a judge on the hit NBC competition The Voice, makes the fresh leaks of the songbird's private poses a bit more embarrassing -- especially given her choice of a provocative bondage theme.
Apparently snared by the same hacker collective that targeted Johansson, the purloined image of Alba is less posed than others that were uncovered. Her camera phone captured more of a Girls Gone Wild vibe with her flashing a single exposed breast. Unlike the other victims, Alba may have the added blessing of being smart enough not to include her face in the shot.