Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Cybercrime

“Celebgate” Hacker Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison

Ryan Collins, 36, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for hacking into over 100 online accounts, including many belonging to celebrities. Private pictures and videos stolen from these accounts were later leaked online in what became known as “The Fappening” or “Celebgate.”

Ryan Collins, 36, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to prison on Wednesday for hacking into over 100 online accounts, including many belonging to celebrities. Private pictures and videos stolen from these accounts were later leaked online in what became known as “The Fappening” or “Celebgate.”

Collins was charged with computer hacking in March and he later pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison for a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and was immediately taken into custody.

According to authorities, Collins sent numerous phishing emails between November 2012 and September 2014. The fake messages purported to come from Apple and Google and they were designed to trick recipients into handing over their username and password.

Investigators determined that Collins managed to hack into at least 50 iCloud and 72 Gmail accounts, many of which belonged to female celebrities. However, there is no evidence that he was also responsible for sharing or leaking the nude photographs and videos obtained from hacked accounts.

In addition to hacking into online accounts, authorities said Collins also ran a modeling scam in which he tricked victims into sending him nude photos.

Collins is not the only suspect in the Celebgate case. Edward Majerczyk, 28, of Illinois, last month admitted hacking into more than 300 iCloud and Gmail accounts after phishing their credentials via a scheme similar to the one ran by Collins.

Majerczyk, who hasn’t been linked to the actual leaks either, will be sentenced in January 2017. He faces up to five years in prison.

In mid-2015, authorities revealed that they had searched the home of a Chicago man named Emilio Herrera, who was also believed to be involved. Investigators tracked him down based on an IP address.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Related: Romanian Hacker “Guccifer” Sentenced to Prison in US

Related: Man Charged for Hacking Celebrity Emails

Related: Celebrity Email Hacker Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison

Written By

Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Learn how the LOtL threat landscape has evolved, why traditional endpoint hardening methods fall short, and how adaptive, user-aware approaches can reduce risk.

Watch Now

Join the summit to explore critical threats to public cloud infrastructure, APIs, and identity systems through discussions, case studies, and insights into emerging technologies like AI and LLMs.

Register

People on the Move

Jessica Newman has joined Sophos as General Manager of Global Cyber Insurance.

Breach and attack simulation solutions provider AttackIQ has appointed Pete Luban as Field Chief Information Security Officer.

Matthew Cowell has assumed the role of VP of Strategic Alliances at Nozomi Networks. He previously served in the same role at Dragos.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.