Scarlett Johansson Leaked Photos 2011: FBI Hacking Investigation Began Prior to Online Pictures
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had already been looking into the case of Scarlett Johansson’s phone hacking before her nude photos leaked, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
The probe actually dates back an entire year and is part of a broader investigation in which the FBI is looking for hackers that allegedly broke into cell phones of multiple celebrities, law enforcement sources told the LA Times.
On Wednesday, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told the LA Times that the agency has been investigating "a series of computer intrusions" by hackers, but would not disclose names of alleged victims.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
She only described them as "high-profile figures," LA Times reported.
A number of people have reportedly claimed to be a hacking group, and have claimed responsibility for the leak, though that claim had not been verified as of yet.
Johansson’s photographs leaked last Wednesday. After the photos became available on several websites, the actress filed a lawsuit and had a number of them taken down from some sites.
After the leak, the editor of one of the websites that published Johansson’s photos, Nik Richie, told E! he felt bad for the actress when the shots hit the Internet.
“I usually never remove images I get from hackers or third parties,” he told the entertainment network. “In this case, Scarlett Johansson's images were definitely an exception. … These images were a little more personal and private. Scarlett doesn't need to leak photos, she's pretty established. So this wasn't a press play. This was someone hacking into her phone, stealing her text messages and leaking them onto the Internet."
Johansson, 26, is only one of several celebrities who have fallen victim to nude photography leakages due to hacking. Vanessa Hudgens, Jessica Alba, Blake Lively and, recently, Mila Kunis, were also rumored to have suffered from it.
Despite the embarrassing episode, Johansson is pushing forward and will soon be promoting her new movie, “We Bought a Zoo,” which is to be released in December.
Johansson will appear there beside Matt Damon.
