Homeland Security investigating hack of SNL star’s site

Cyber coverage issues get even more limelight as a star of Saturday Night Live and Ghostbusters is the victim of a cyber attack – and the government is looking into the incident

Cyber

By Ryan Smith

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a cyber attack on a Saturday Night Live star.

A recent cyber breach of comedian Leslie Jones’ personal website exposed nude photos and personal documents, according to an Associated Press report. It’s the latest in a pattern of harassment against the actress, who was the victim of a campaign of racist harassment on Twitter last month.

The hackers who broke into Jones’ website replaced its content with nude photos, an image of her driver’s license and passport, and racist videos, the AP reported. The website was taken offline Wednesday after the hack was exposed.

Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division said Thirday that it’s looking into the breach. ICE Public Affairs Officer Rachel Yong Yow told USA Today that the agency couldn’t release any further information on an active investigation.

After last month’s barrage of Twitter attacks, Jones called on the site to do more to prevent harassment, according to the AP. Several users were banned as a result.

“She’s done all the right things,” Brendesha Tynes, a cyberbullying and social media expert from the University of Southern California, told the AP. “You report, you block – she’s done all those things.”

But celebrities are frequent targets of online harassment and hackers. In 2012, a site posted personal information on several celebrities, including Jay Z, Beyonce, and Ashton Kutcher, according to USA Today. the information included credit reports, Social Security numbers and financial information.
 

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