More than 100 celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and Kaley Cuoco have had their nude and intimate pictures leaked online by an anonymous 4Chan hacker.
The Daily Mirror reports that in total, up to 423 celebs may have been hacked.
The event has been dubbed The Fappening, a reference to a term the Urban Dictionary describes as “the onomatopoeic representation of masturbation.”
Some of the pics are here on Reddit.
Here’s what you need to know about the scandal, the celebs involved and how hackers can access your private pictures:
1. Jennifer Lawrence Is Out for Revenge
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Reps for Jennifer Lawrence were quick to confirm that the pics were indeed real.
The spokesperson also said that anybody who publishes the photos will be prosecuted. On August 31, a statement for Lawrence read:
This is a flagrant violation of privacy. The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence.
The Associated Press reports that Lawrence has gone to the authorities to demand a full investigation. The FBI is “addressing” the hack, according to CBS.
TMZ reports Kate Upton has also vowed revenge.
On the other hand, singer Ariana Grande said that the images of her were faked. As did Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice:
These so called nudes of me are FAKE people. Let me nip this in the bud right now. *pun intended*
— Victoria Justice (@VictoriaJustice) August 31, 2014
Read about the man who denies being the hacker behind the leak:
2. These 101 Celebrities Were Affected
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These are the names that were posted by the user “Anonymous” on 4Chan at 3 p.m. on August 31. The user claimed to have intimate and nude of photos of all of these celebrities.
AJ Michalka
Alyson ‘Aly’ Michalka
Allegra Carpenter
Abigail Spencer
Alana Blanchard
Alexa Jane
Angelina McCoy
Anna O’Neill
Ashley Blankenship
Aubrey Plaza
Abigail ‘Abby’ Elliott
AnnaLynne McCord
Avril Lavigne
Amber Heard
Rebecca ‘Becca’ Tobin
Brie Larson
Brittany Booker
Candace Smith
Candice Swanepoel
Cara Delevingne
Carley Pope
Carmella Carcia
Carrie Michalka
Cat Deeley
Carly Foulkes
Chloe Dykstra
Clare Bowen
Dove Cameron
Elena Satine
Elle Evans
Ellenore Scott
Emily Browning
Emily DiDonato
Emily Ratajkowski
Erin Cummings
Erin Heatherton
Farrah Abraham
Gabrielle Union
Gabi Grecko
Hayden Panettiere
Hope Solo
Heather Marks
Hilary Duff
Jacqueline Dunford
Janelle Ginestra
Jennifer Lawrence
Jessiqa Pace
Jessica Dunford
Jessica Riccardi
Jesse Golden
JoJo, American singer
Joanna Krupa
Jennifer ‘Jenny’ McCarthy
Josie Loren
Joy Corrigan
Kaley Cuoco
Kaime O’Teter
Kate Upton
Kate Bosworth
Lauren ‘Keke’ Palmer
Kim West
Kirsten Dunst
Krysten Ritter
Laura Ramsey
Lea Michele
Leelee Sobieski
Leven Rambin
Lisa Kelly
Lisalla Montenegro
Lindsay Clubine
Lizzy Caplan
Mary-Kate Olsen
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
McKayla Maroney
Melissa Benoist
Meagan Good
Megan Boone
Michelle Keegan
Mikayla Pierce
Misty Treanor
Nina Stavris
Rachel Nichols
Sarah Shahi
Sahara Ray
Sarah Schneider
ScarJo (Scarlett Johansson)
Selena Gomez
Shannon McNally
Tameka Jacobs
Teresa Palmer
Uldouz
Victoria Justice
Wailana Geisen
Winona Ryder
Yvonne Strahovski
Alison Brie and Dave Franco
Protect your naked selfies from getting hacked
3. It’s Believed the Hacker(s) Got Access to Celebs’ iClouds
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The most prevalent theory right now is that whoever the hacker is, the creep most likely got access to the celebs’ iClouds. Users on 4Chan, where the images first appeared, are in agreement that’s how the pics were leaked. Some other theories abound that the pics may have come from celeb’s angry exes, but due to the sheer volume of pics, that seems unlikely.
Twitter has been working to close accounts that post links to or publish the controversial pics. A software-engineer named Bryan Hamade has been named by Reddit users as the man behind the leak. In an interview with Buzzfeed, Hamade said that he wasn’t the hacker and he posted the pics as a way of making money through Bitcoin.
How hackers can access your iCloud through a vulnerability in Find My iPhone
4. Perez Hilton Had to Apologize for Posting Lawrence’s Photos
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Celeb blogger Perez Hilton was one of the few mainstream publishers to post the nude pics of Jennifer Lawrence. He later took them down and apologized to her.
I acted in haste just to get the post up and didn’t really think things through. I’m sorry.
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) August 31, 2014
No, I haven’t been forced to do so or been contacted by their reps, but I am removing those uncensored photos of JLaw and Victoria Justice.
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) August 31, 2014
Is the cloud the worst place to store your photos?
5. 4Chan Allows Users to Post Images Anonymously
4Chan is described as an “imageboard website.” Its users generally post pics anonymously. Not only is registration not required, it’s not possible, making it unique among social forums. You can watch a video of some of the most controversial posts on the site above.
The Guardian described the site as “lunatic, juvenile … brilliant, ridiculous and alarming.” The network was set up by Christopher Poole, a 15-year-old from New York City, in 2003. Poole posts on 4Chan under the screen name “moot.”
The website has attracted plenty of criticism, to the extent that AT&T and Verizon both blocked access to the site through their networks in 2010.
In addition to the criticisms the site has face, its users are credited with the explosion of MEMEs and Rick Rolling, as well as other online phenomenons.