A 23-year-old from the Bahamas hacked the email accounts of 130 celebrities, taking unreleased movie scripts, social security numbers and even a few sex tapes, federal prosecutors have alleged.
According to the New York Times, the alleged hacking activities of Alonzo Knowles were discovered when he tried to sell some of the material he found for profit.
In order to get into the accounts Knowles allegedly looked at published photos of high-profile celebrities and then hacked into their friends’ email accounts first. From there, he was able to gain access to some of the celebrities’ personal information. For those he found phone numbers for, he would send a text message suggesting their account had been hacked, it was alleged.
Many responded with their passwords, giving Knowles instant access to their account. If he was able to gain access to the celebrity’s computer, he would send a virus that gave him access to information stored on the hard drive and he would also adjust the individual’s email settings in order maintain ongoing access, prosecutors say.
Knowles appeared at a federal court in New York on Tuesday charged with criminal copyright infringement and identity theft. A judge ruled to detain him without bail.
None of the individual victims of the alleged crimes have been named; however, a report lists some of the items stolen. Specifically, Knowles is accused of being able to acquire 30 unreleased tracks set to be included on the album of a popular celebrity, the first six episodes of a television drama currently in production, and social security numbers for a number of professional athletes and actors.
He allegedly attempted to sell several of the items to a radio host. That host contacted the executive producer of one of the stolen television scripts, prompting the network responsible for the program to notify the Department of Homeland Security. In December, a meeting was set up with Knowles and an undercover agent.
On Monday, Knowles allegedly tried to sell the agent the social security numbers of several athletes and one actress as well as 15 scripts for $80,000.
Manhattan US attorney Preet Bharara said: “This case has all of the elements of the kind of blockbuster script the defendant, Alonzo Knowles, is alleged to have stolen: hacks into celebrities’ private emails, identity theft, and attempts to sell victims’ information to the highest bidder.
“Unfortunately, these circumstances are all too real.”
George Sorge, acting special agent in charge, said: “This arrest brings down an alleged email hacking scheme that targeted many individuals including some in the entertainment industry.
“As cyber-crime becomes more pervasive, this operation embodies HSI’s [Homeland Security Investigations’] commitment to target those who use the cyber world for illegal financial gain.”
0 comments:
Post a Comment