Hackers Leak Hundreds Of Nude Celebrity Photos Online, Causing Many To Worry About Privacy
By Syma Chowdhry and Ian Bush
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Hackers leaked hundreds of nude celebrity photos on the web, and many are wondering how they could've accessed the pictures.
Dan Ackerman, Senior Editor of C-NET, says, "These are maybe photos that were put together over a course of months or years."
Ackerman says people should never treat their pictures and online activity as 100% private.
"It's almost impossible to completely bulletproof your life. We share so much stuff, so many cloud services, which are really great for sharing information, but it does add a degree of vulnerability because it's out there somewhere."
Some celebrities have responded to the leaked photos.
Jennifer Lawrence's publicist put out a statement saying:
"This is a flagrant violation of privacy. The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence."
So how can you protect your pictures from hackers?
Ackerman suggests to:
•Use Different Passwords for Different Accounts
•Check Privacy Settings
•Opt Out Of Cloud Sharing
•Change Your Password Frequently
•Use a Two-Step Verification system
"If you want to change something with your account, you get a text message with a code; that actually makes sure you have to have your phone with you if you want to make a big change to your account," he explains.
We talked with some folks in Jenkintown and asked them what they thought of cyber security.
Lee Halpern, of Jenkintown, says, "My husband does computers for a living, so he is very, very concerned about that, big on passwords. It's nerve wracking how often you have to change things."
"Nobody understands the Cloud," explains John Boutcher. He says the simple solution is to stop taking naked photos. "I hope there are no naked pictures of me on my cellphone -- nobody wants to see that."
Kevin Lyons, of Glenside, said celebrities should treat their sensitive information as if they have no privacy.
"If your job is to be famous for a living, then you put something out there, it's going to get found -- deal with it. Move on.
Regardless if you thought it was secure?
"Nothing is secure."
Trend Micro VP Rik Ferguson says celebrities are especially at risk, thanks to in-depth interviews and biographies which can make account security questions insecure.
"The information needed may easily be searchable on the Internet, if you're looking for things like 'name of my first pet' or 'my first school," he said.
Even though our names aren't in boldface, we're still at risk as well. "Anything you do online at some point may surface and may come back to bite you," said Ferguson.
So on any account that allows it -- and most do -- sign up for two-factor authentication, which pairs a password with something something only you have, like a text message to a smartphone. One more thing, says Ferguson, "I suppose a final word of advice though is stop taking naked photos."
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