14 DAY TRIAL // Representatives for Christina Aguilera announced that the star's risque photos, which recently made their way onto the Internet, were stolen and released by a computer hacker.
The pictures showed up online earlier this week and depict the singer trying out some pretty revealing clothing items. They are said to be taken several month before her divorce and were apparently stolen from her stylist.
"The photos of Christina Aguilera being leaked to the press were illegally obtained by a hacker who tapped into Christina's personal stylist's account.
“The photos were taken in the privacy of Ms. Aguilera's home and were used only in a personal exchange between the star and her stylist,” an official statement from her representative reads.
The artist, who plays the leading role in the recently released movie “Burlesque,” wouldn’t be the first celebrity to have their very personal pictures exposed by hackers.
College Hill TV series star Dorion Standberry had it even worse when nude pictures of himself were released by a hacker who compromised his email account.
Another celebrity who though it wise to keep intimate photos in her email is Miley Cyrus. At least she has an excuse - she was 15 at the time.
Unfortunately, when incidents like this occur, it’s not only the celebrities that end up being affected, but also many of their fans who rush online to search for the pictures.
This is because topics that generate a lot of buzz present an opportunity for cyber criminals to infect users with malware by poisoning search results with malicious links.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if the private photos of Christina Aguilera parading around her huge walk-in wardrobe were also abused in this way by malicious hackers," notes Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant at Sophos.