WebProNews

Tag: Cyber Crime

  • Gabrielle Union Speaks Out Against Nude Photo Leak

    Two months after being involved in a massive nude photo leak that targeted celebrities, Gabrielle Union has opened up about her experiences and the gross violation of privacy she has encountered. During the Fun Fearless Life conference in New York City, the actress talked at length about what she went through. “I didn’t do anything wrong—no matter what people describe to me, ‘It’s your fault, you’re stupid to take nude photos, that’s what happens when you’re a celebrity’—all this nonsense… they’re criminals,” she said. “What you do with your own body is your choice. Period. There’s no gray matter there. And when someone takes your choice away and your power away over your own body, it’s a crime. Period. A hacking scandal? We’re lessening it, making it more palatable for mass consumption, but it’s a crime.”

    Union found out about the hacking the day after her wedding with NBA star Dwyane Wade. “The day after my wedding, we were all sitting around, rehashing the best day of my life, and I get a text from my team that there’s an article that over 100 female celebrities had been targeted.” The photos were leaked online three weeks later.

    Union wrote a piece for Cosmopolitan’s December 2014 issue called “My Nude Photos Were stolen, and I’m Fighting Back”. In it she issued a call to arms of sorts and said, “Any time you lose control over your body, it’s a violation and a crime. In addition, some of the stolen photos reportedly depict women when they were underage — that’s child pornography. I hope people think about all these things when they consider clicking on these private images.”

    The attack targeted over a hundred women. According to Union, the fact that they were celebrities shouldn’t change how we look at this crime. Union has contacted the FBI about the matter, but the culprits behind the attack have yet to be arrested. 

  • Paris Hilton Gets Apology From The Nude Photo Hacker

    Cameron Lacroix, the 26-year-old hacker from New Bedford who’s responsible for the Paris Hilton nude photo leak back in 2005, has apologized to the celebrity for invading her privacy. The apology came as Lacroix is about to begin his four-year sentence for several counts of hacking including credit card fraud.

    In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Lacroix addressed Hilton, saying: “Paris, I’m sorry I put your information online. I should never have done it. I wouldn’t want it done to me”. He also talked about how he managed to acquire Paris Hilton’s personal data, which stemmed from his plan to hack T-Mobile’s system in order to win a free phone.

    “It all started because I wanted a T-Mobile phone,” he said in the interview. “Once I got in there, I realized, ‘Hey, I have access to everybody’s stuff!” Thinking that Paris Hilton probably owns a Sidekick because of her commercials for the company at the time, Lacroix decided to poke around. “Sure enough, it was under her name. I went into it and was shocked at what I saw.”

    Lacroix, who went under the online handles “cam0” and “Freak”, released Hilton’s personal data on the internet including the aforementioned nude photos as well as her phonebook and her messages. He was 16 at the time.

    Back in June, Lacroix pleaded guilty for his crimes which led to more than $1 million worth of damages to private firms. In October, US District Court Senior Judge Mark L. Wolf sentenced Lacroix to four years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

    Ever since his arrest, Cameron Lacroix has provided information to FBI in order to fix the lax security protocols of the same credit card companies that he has scammed in the past.

    Lacroix will be 30 when he gets out of jail in 2018, at which point he vows to put his skills to good use by continuing to aid the authorities.

  • Paris Hilton Phone Hacker Pleads Guilty To String Of Cyber Crimes

    Cameron Lacroix, also known as “cam0,” “leetjones,” or “Freak,” is once again in trouble with the authorities. In 2005, Lacroix hacked Paris Hilton’s cellphone and leaked incriminating photos of the socialite.

    Now, Lacroix is facing new charges as he allegedly stole bank information from over 14,000 account holders. Prosecutors said that he has been doing it for the last three years. He is also accused of breaking into the network of a law enforcement computer and computers in his college. He is facing two counts of computer intrusion and one count of access device fraud.

    The 25-year-old hacked into the computers at Bristol Community College several times in order to manipulate his grades and the grades of two other college students. In 2012, he hacked into a computer at the Massachusetts police department and gained access to private information, such as sex offender information, arrest warrants, intelligence reports, and police reports.

    According to the US District Attorney, Lacroix already agreed to plead guilty to all the charges. He will be serving four years in jail, followed by three years of supervised release.

    After the Paris Hilton incident, Lacroix already served 11 months in a juvenile detention center. He was a minor at that time, and was said to be the youngest member of a hacker group.

    In addition to the hacking activities, Lacroix has also pleaded guilty to being responsible for making bomb threats to two separate high schools. In 2005, the prosecutors reported that Lacroix’s victims sustained $1 million in damages due to his criminal activities.

    Prosecutors are now asking Lacroix to surrender a thumb drive and his Toshiba notebook computer, which he used for his hacking activities.

    The FBI Boston Division Cyber Task Force department investigated Lacroix’s case. Bristol Community College also cooperated with the investigation.

    Lacroix’s plea hearing has not been scheduled yet.

    Image via Paris Hilton, Twitter

  • Identity Theft Protection: Things You Should Know

    Identity theft transpires when a third party gets your personal information, such as social security number and credit card details and uses them for fraudulent purposes. According to the Federal Trade Commission, more or less 9 million Americans experience identity theft yearly. In 2010, an estimated $3.5 billion was spent by U.S. consumers for purchasing products that specialize in identity protection.

    Identity theft is a serious offense that can mess up your reputation, credit history, and finances. Identity thieves can get loans under your name, or open other accounts using your personal information. Fixing the problem also takes time, effort, and patience, but it is not impossible.

     Ways to Protect Yourself

    More and more people resort to online banking and shopping, as it is more convenient. With all your personal information available on the web, there is a chance for your identity to be stolen. There are simple ways to prevent this from happening, and this doesn’t always mean that you have to spend a dime.

    Make sure to delete your login and password information, especially when using a shared computer. Another way to prevent identity theft is to change your account passwords every so often. Check credit reports every quarter to make sure that you only pay for products and services that you purchased.

     What To Do When Your Identity Has Been Stolen

    Maybe it’s your unlucky day and you just found out that you’re a victim of identity theft. You must take immediate action in order to stop the problem from escalating. The first thing to do is report the crime by placing an Initial Fraud Alert. This can be done by calling the national credit reporting company. The next step is to get a copy of your credit report so that you can dispute any unauthorized activity. The last step is to make a report of the identity theft, which allows you to clear the activities of the identity thief on your accounts.

    If you want to be extra careful with your online accounts and credit cards, it might be a good idea to pay for an identity theft service. This might cost you around a $150 annually, but it will make you feel at ease whenever you do activities online.

    Tips For Protecting Your Identity

    http://youtu.be/DT9DoS-1QgQ

    Image via YouTube

  • Miss Teen USA Victim of Cyber-Crime

    Miss Teen USA Victim of Cyber-Crime

    What would you do if someone sent you an e-mail threatening to release pictures that they stole, off of your computer, to the media if you didn’t cooperate and send them nude pictures of yourself? Would you go to the authorities, or simply send them the pictures that they asked for?

    19-year-old Cassidy Wolf was forced to make this decision, when someone hacked into her webcam and claimed that they had nude photographs of her. The hacker told Wolf if she didn’t send more nude pictures then he would make the them public for all to see. Wolf didn’t take any chances, and went straight to the police with the “sextortion” threat. According to collinsdictionary.com, “sextortion” is defined as, “a form of sexual exploitation that employs non-physical forms of coercion by threatening to release sexual images or information to extort sexual favors from the victim.”

    “I wasn’t aware that somebody was watching me on my webcam,” Wolf said. “The light on the camera didn’t even go on, so I had no idea.”

    FBI spokeswoman, Laura Eimiller said, “Many victims are embarrassed or keep it to themselves. Coming forward is key to stopping the criminal activity.” There is currently a federal investigation into the crime and it is believed that they may have a suspect. No further information, into the investigation, has been released.

    Wolf was crowned Miss Teen USA on Saturday in the Bahamas. She will reign for one-year and hopes that during this year she can raise awareness of the increasing number of cyber-crimes that are targeting young women. “This next year I’m just so excited to be able to share my story and raise awareness in young teens about what can happen,” she said.

    http://youtu.be/YUf2KXKIu8w

  • Facebook Still Used As Hunting Ground For Predators

    Communication has never been easier and more available to everyone. Social media is becoming a part of most of our daily lives. The more we use platforms like Twitter and Facebook, the more familiar and friendly it becomes for us and we can easily forget that these same platforms for communication can be used by people to hurt others, commit crimes and pray on friends and family that are putting it out there and trusting that others online are using it for the same positive purposes. A recent story out of Plainview, Texas confirms that social media and Facebook in this particular instance, can easily be used as a hunting ground for predators.

    Here’s how the story in Texas goes. A local thirteen year old teen found herself in a motel room in Plainview, where she thought she was going to meet another teenaged girl she had been conversing with on Facebook. Plainview Police Captain Manuel Balderas said, “I guess the person had sent her a friend request, she accepted it and she got to ‘conversating’ with the girl,” according to KLBK, the CBS affiliate in Plainview.

    The two teenagers became friends online as so many people do and agreed to meet in person. Since she was only thirteen, the girl had asked her sister to drive her to a local motel to meet the new friend. When a man answered the door and explained the girl she was supposed to meet was taking a shower it didn’t seem to phase the young teenager and she went past the man and into the room. The man (now a suspect) grabbed the teenager, put tape over her mouth and tried to keep her from making any noise.

    “She started screaming as loud as she could. He kept telling her to get quiet and asked if she was with anybody else and she said that her sister was outside waiting for her so I guess the guy got scared and let her go,” said Police Captain Balderas. He also told KLBK the man had registered under a fake name at the motel but police were able to identify and question him. The suspect hasn’t been arrested yet, but it is likely that he’ll be charged with the online solicitation of a minor and unlawful restraint.

    I doubt anyone is really all that surprised about a story like this one. It’s a pretty common and sadly way too easily believable scenario for today’s social media world. Our communication rich world is filled with all kinds of opportunities and possibilities including the possibility that predators can still use social networking tools and platforms to find victims. Most importantly, we all must be reminded of these dangers and aware when information is shared so openly with the public.

    @Hermit_Thrush_
    Hermit Thrush    “Contrary to popular belief, most online predators are not pedophiles. Pedophiles target pre-pubescent children” —NCMEC 3 days ago via Twitter for Mac ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @iPootOnPillows
    Chill Cosby    I hear they can track online predators by simply tracking their credit cards. I’m glad twitter is free. 6 days ago via Plume for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto