If you somehow managed to miss the news that an estimated 100 celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst, have had compromising private photographs leaked online, then you’re not paying enough attention to potential online security threats.

The photos were allegedly leaked from mobile phones of the victims, after being accessed by hackers who are suspected to have exploited security flaws in a cloud network. The high-profile case has even been brought to the attention of the FBI, who are investigating.

Whilst this gross invasion of privacy may seem to only be a concern of rich and famous individuals, it’s important to understand that this has much wider reaching implications. If cloud-based networks are not secure, there could potentially be a lot more sensitive information at stake than nude photographs.

The stolen photos emerged on the notoriously lawless image board 4chan, where hackers made audacious claims about illegally gaining access to over 100 celebrities’ telephones and stated that they plan to leak more photographs

Many people have raised suspicions that the compromised system was none other than Apple’s iCloud, but the tech-giant has denied the claims. A spokesperson from Apple made the following statement suggesting that the insecure passwords and accounts of the victims are the cause, rather than any security flaws in iCloud;

"After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet."

However, even if this is the case there are still security questions. If hackers were able to brute-force their way into supposedly secure private accounts, then is your data at risk too?

Is Cloud Stored Data there Indefinitely?

One of the celebrities who was targeted, Mary Elizabeth Winstead stated on Twitter that the photos of her that emerged were deleted a long time ago.

"To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves,"

"Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this. Feeling for everyone who got hacked."

This is cause for concern and begs the question, just how long is data retained on cloud services? If it is indefinitely, then the implication is that hackers could access data at anytime, even long after the user thought it was deleted.

Implications for Everyone

The leak of such personal data, that is typically closely guarded, highlights just how at risk data is, particularly when stored in services such as iCloud. Whilst Apple have stated there is no flaw in their system that would allow data to be harvested, rather these were specifically targeted accounts, it illustrates the need for tight security measures, particularly so when it comes to sensitive data.

Consider the data that your business may share or store on cloud based networks, or any network for that matter. Whilst it’s probably not nude photographs of upper management, it may be extremely sensitive data regarding finances, clients, passwords and a whole host of other information that if accessed by a malicious individual could have very unfortunate consequences for your business. This is why security is vital. Something as straightforward as a long and complex password using a varied mixture of characters will make things more difficult even for a determined hacker.

These events can be regarded as a show of strength by the underground and anarchic elements of the internet. Whilst leaked photos maybe seem serious to the victim, to many people this could be seen as a trivial issue. However, if hackers can access this supposedly private data, what else can they get hold of?

If you’re concerned about the security of your business’s networks, or simply require quality assistance with the technology you rely upon, then TriStar IT offer IT Support in Luton and throughout Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Don’t hesitate to contact TriStar IT Support or call us on 01707 378 453.