Many hackers consider acquiring nude celeb pictures a "badge of honor" [View all]
In the world of cybercrime, some hackers steal credit cards for financial gain. Others deal in a different type of currency: private information like nude celebrity photos, used to buy the admiration of fellow hackers.
Alleged intimate photos of dozens of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Mary Elizabeth Winstead appeared online this weekend. The thefts are the product of a small, malicious subset of the hacker community -- but it reflects the braggadocio of the hacker culture at large.
"Stolen data is incontrovertible proof of a certain level of skill for a hacker," Dave Aitel, the CEO of security company Immunity Inc., said in an interview Tuesday. "Hackers are braggarts. It's just a natural part of the culture: 'Look what I can do.'"
While it's not yet clear how the photos were obtained, Aitel said they could have been floating around a small subset of the hacker community for years, passed between a group like trading cards.
"It starts with someone saying 'Here's what I did, I got Kate Upton!' Someone else says, 'Oh yeah? Check out this photo of Jennifer Lawrence,'" Aitel said. "Stuff like this gets traded around. It's a way to assert your dominance as a hacker."
http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/inside-psychology-celebrity-hackers-its-badge-honor-n193926
Nothing on the internet is safe and secure. Who knows how many underground rings there are of people private pictures being traded.
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