Celebrity photo leaks are happening increasingly more often, and it does not seem that celebrities are taking the security of their data seriously, as it keeps reoccurring.
Most recently, Emma Watson has taken legal action after having private photos stolen and threats of posting them online. There are no clear details on who stole the images, but Ms Watson’s legal team have made it clear that they are not nude photos. This is not the first time Emma Watson has faced threats of photo leaks, and she isn’t alone.
We have seen iCloud hacks from the likes of A-list celebrities Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Rihanna, and Kirsten Dunst, to name a few. Amanda Seyfried is another high-profile photo hacking case that has had threats of ‘nude photos’.
Mark James, ESET IT Security Specialist, discusses how the alleged photos could have been attained and how celebrities can be more secure in the future.
“The news is quite sketchy currently regarding this new batch of leaked material. Apparently, new photos of celebrities that may include Emma Watson and Amanda Seyfried, with more high profile celebrities to follow, are supposedly available on the web.
“These photos may have come from anywhere: it may be a direct hack against one of the many cloud storage services available, and indeed, could automatically upload their material from their digital devices to.
“Or it may simply be another case of password re-use obtained from the sheer volume of our private data being leaked, stolen and posted online. Many of these services may have been created a long time ago when password security was not on everyone’s lips.
“We don’t check and change our passwords as often as we should and once all our data gets collated online the hackers will use all those credentials to attempt to gain access to all those potential goldmines.
“When it comes to celebrities, they only need a few hits from all those millions of leaked accounts to make it worthwhile.
“Now in an ideal world we should not have to worry about what and where we store our private information as it’s exactly that right, private!
“But sadly that’s not the case. Take a few minutes and check what digital services you subscribe to, both free and paid for, and have a look at where your data is going.
“If you have to store it online ensure your using 2FA (Two Factor Authentication) to protect it, and if your provider is not offering that level of protection then simply move to one that does.
“You don’t always have control over how your data is stored but you often do have control over how you protect it.”
When was the last time you changed your passwords? Let us know on Twitter @ESETUK.
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