‘Celebgate’ hacker pleads guilty to cracking iCloud accounts

A hacker who broke into more than 30 iCloud accounts has pleaded guilty for his role in the “Celebgate” leak of 2014. Edward Majerczyk faces up to five years in prison for illegally obtaining private celebrity photos.

Majerczyk, 28, worked alongside Ryan Collins, who pleaded guilty to his role in the hack back in March, to create a phishing scam that tricked celebrities into entering login information into fake websites.

They then used this information to obtain access to over 300 Gmail and iCloud accounts.

“This defendant not only hacked into e-mail accounts — he hacked into his victims’ private lives, causing embarrassment and lasting harm,” said FBI assistant director Deirdre Fike. “As most of us use devices containing private information, cases like this remind us to protect our data.”

Neither Majerczyk or Collins have been charged with distributing the photos and videos online yet. The Justice Department says that “investigators have not uncovered any evidence linking Majerczyk to the actual leaks.”

Source | CultofMac