FBI investigating Nude Pictures of Jennifer Lawrence, Mary Elizabeth and others

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the hacking and leaking of celebrity nude photos including those of Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence, it has confirmed.

Images of more than 100 well-known actors, singers and celebrities, including what appear to be nude photos and videos, have been exposed by a hacker using the internet forum 4chan.

The hacker posted a list of targeted celebrities on Sunday, as well as a number of nude photos including of Lawrence, who was in The Hunger Games, and others, some of which may be faked.

Lawrence and others affected by the leak have contacted law enforcement, causing an investigation by the FBI.

“The FBI is aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals and is addressing the matter,” said a statement from the Los Angeles FBI. “Any further comment would be inappropriate at this time.”

“This is a flagrant violation of privacy. The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence,” said Liz Mahoney, publicist for Lawrence, in a statement.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, an actor, and Kate Upton, a Sports Illustrated model, also confirmed that images of them had been stolen and leaked online.

Kirsten Dunst hit out at Apple and its iCloud service (combining pizza and poo emoticons to represent the phrase ‘piece of shit’), which has been the focus of theories from whence the photos came. Apple is currently investigating the theory, although other alternatives including phishing and exposure of details through agents has been posited.

The alleged hacker, who originally posted the list of celebrities and photos on the 4chan website, wrote on Monday that “I will soon be moving to another location from which I will continue to post”.

“Guys, just to let you know I didn’t do this by myself,” said the hacker. “There are several other people who were in on it and I needed to count on to make this happen. This is the result of several months of long and hard work by all involved.”

Security experts are warning that there could be many more compromised celebrity iCloud accounts after examining data from pictures stolen from Lawrence and Upton. (The Guardian)