The man who hacked into the email accounts of more than 100 women to steal nude photos and videos has been sentenced to 18 months in jail.
The women whose accounts were hacked into included a number of high profile celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Upton, among others. The nude photographs were released online in what became known as ‘The Fappening’.
Ryan Collins, 36, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pled guilty to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
He had sent fake emails appearing to be from Apple or Google to encourage the victims to hand over usernames and passwords. He gained access to at least 50 Apple iCloud and 72 Gmail accounts between November 2012 and September 2014 through this phishing scheme.
‘In some instances, Collins would use a software program to download the entire contents of the victims' Apple iCloud backups,’ the Pennsylvania US Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Investigators said that they have not uncovered any evidence linking Collins to the actual leaks of the photos or that he shared or uploaded the information he obtained. Collins was the first person arrested in connection with the security breach.
