A man from Chicago has pleaded guilty to using a phishing scheme to hack into the computers of celebrities to steal personal information and sensitive content.
Edward Majerczyk, 28 years old, was charged with illegally accessing more than 300 accounts on Apple's iCloud and Google's Gmail platforms, at least 30 of which belonged to celebrities.
Majerczyk agreed to plead guilty to one count of felony for unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, in a deal with federal authorities in Los Angeles. The information that the hacker obtained was included in an incident in 2014, which is now referred to as the "Celebgate" scandal.
In the incident, private nude pictures of several actresses and models were leaked online, including Kate Upton, Jennifer Lawrence, Brie Larson and Olivia Munn.
However, none of the celebrities whom Majerczyk hacked within the period of November 2013 to August 2014 were specified in the plea deal.
The guilty plea of Majerczyk comes after 36-year-old Ryan Collins, another hacker linked to Celebgate, likewise pleaded guilty after being charged of gaining unauthorized access to protected computers between the time frame of November 2012 to September 2014. Collins was able to hack into at least 100 iCloud and Gmail accounts, with some of those belonging to celebrities.
Majerczyk and Collins both used the same phishing technique of sending their victims emails that were made to appear to have come from internet service and security providers. The emails contained links to websites that collected the username and passwords of their victims to gain entry into their accounts.
Once the hackers had the login details, they were able to access sensitive information, including nude pictures and videos.
However, according to the authorities, while Majerczyk and Collins both pleaded guilty to accessing the accounts, there is no direct evidence that points to the hackers being the ones who leaked the pictures and videos online.
"Hacking of online accounts to steal personal information is not merely an intrusion of an individual's privacy, but is a serious violation of federal law," said U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker.
FBI Los Angeles field office assistant director Deirdre Fike added that what the hackers did cause embarrassment and lasting harm, and so users with accounts and devices containing private information should always safeguard their data. This would be particularly more important for celebrities, who could be directly targeted by such attacks.
Both hackers are now facing imprisonment of up to five years.
