iCloud 'celebgate' hacker pleads guilty, faces up to 5 years in prison

Edward Majerczyk, a hacker who obtained nude photos of celebrities, popularly known as "Celebgate" breach that took place in 2014, pleads guilty. Majerczyk will be facing up to five years in federal prison for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Just like hacker Ryan Collins, Majerczyk also used a phishing scam to trick celebrities. Although, it came to light as a iCloud hack, the phishing scam was revealed later, which led them into keying in their online credentials into fake ‘security’ sites. This private information was later used by the hacker to illegally access more than 300 personal Gmail and iCloud accounts. “Majerczyk has signed a plea agreement in which he agrees to plead guilty to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, specifically, one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information,” press release issued by Central District of California states. “This defendant not only hacked into e-mail accounts – he hacked into his victims’ private lives, causing embarrassment and lasting harm,” said Deirdre Fike, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “As most of us use devices containing private information, cases like this remind us to protect our data. Members of society whose information is in demand can be even more vulnerable, and directly targeted.” **In 2014** , nude photos of Hollywood celebrities posted on Internet forums by unknown hackers had sparked condemnation from stars and their publicists, and prompted an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.