OriginalGuy is the anonymous hacker who reportedly leaked hundreds of nude celebrity photos including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton, and now the mysterious hacker is on the run from the FBI.
The hacker sparked what is likely the biggest celebrity scandal ever, leaking nude and racy photos from more than 100 celebrities. The pictures first showed up on the image-sharing site 4chan and quickly found their way to Reddit and Imgur, with dozens of sites re-hosting the stolen photos.
The hacker, who has been identified by the moniker OriginalGuy, took to the deep web where the images were reportedly first posted a week ago, saying he had to “move location.” The unnamed hacker said he was moving to avoid being located by authorities and thanked “supporters” who shared the images.
One of the hackers involved in the celebrity nude photo scandal claimed that the massive theft was a team effort.
“This is the result of several months of long and hard work by all involved,” he boasted. “We appreciate your donations and applaud your excitement.”
In a statement Monday afternoon, the FBI said it was already hot on the trail of the photo leaker, but would not say much more.
“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. Any further comment would be inappropriate at this time.”
Though the exact sources of the celebrity nude photo leak has not been determined, many believe that the hackers somehow gained access to iCloud .
From The Independent :
“If activated, iCloud automatically stores photos, email, contacts and other information online, allowing users to sync this data across different devices (for example iPhones and iPads) or access it from any internet-connected computer using a log-in and password.
“Although Apple’s encryption on the data itself is considered robust, access could have been gained through more indirect means – such as guessing users’ passwords or simply resetting their accounts by finding their email address and then answering traditional ‘security questions.’”
Now there are new clues emerging about OriginalGuy and the source of the celebrity nude photo leak. A writer for Deadspin claims that the hacker has been shopping around the pictures online, and has a months old correspondence from someone who claims the hacker tried to trade celebrity photos for pictures of the man’s girlfriend naked.