Vice President Joe Biden and FBI Director Robert Mueller were also hacked.
TMZ reported Monday that a hacker posted detailed financial information about the finances of several celebrities and political figures, including Jay-Z, Hillary Clinton, Britney Spears, Donald Trump, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher, Attorney General Eric Holder, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Vice President Joe Biden and FBI Director Robert Mueller.
The New York Daily News reports that the hacker posted the financial information to a site that was still functioning as of Monday night. According to the website’s traffic counter, the site had more than 15,000 visitors. The Daily News adds that the site had an Internet suffix originally from the Soviet Union.
The Daily News also notes that the website encourages visitors to click on a celebrity or U.S. official’s name and view personal information on the individual including addresses, social security numbers, credit cards and bank accounts.
“If you believe that God makes miracles, you have to wonder if Satan has a few up his sleeve,” the website reportedly reads.
A source has told TMZ that the LAPD is investigating, but the Daily News reports that the FBI would not confirm or deny that it’s involved in the investigation.
TMZ adds that the hacker wasn’t able to take a lot of financial information on the vice president and the former secretary of state. However, others on the list weren’t so lucky.
This isn’t the first time that celebrities have been hacked. In December, The Associated Press reported that Christopher Chaney was sentenced to 10 years in jail for hacking into the personal online accounts of Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera.
Chaney was reportedly arrested in October 2011 during “Operation Hackerazzi.” According to a search warrant, his hard drive contained private celebrity photos as well as their personal data.
How can people protect their financial and personal data in the information age? If the FBI director is vulnerable to a hacker’s attempt to access sensitive information, do you feel like your information is safe? Are you planning on doing anything extra to secure your information after reading this? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
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