Kim Kardashian, Amber Heard and Rihanna latest victims of celebrity nude hacking with photos readily available online despite social media sites claiming to take them down

  • Another wave of naked images uploaded onto 4chan and Reddit on Sunday
  • Actress Amber Heard, fiancée of Johnny Depp, may be one of largest hit victims - with over 50 pictures surfacing
  • The images appeared to still be widely available on Twitter - the social media site had not responded on Monday
  • Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Vanessa Hudgens and Hope Solo were all victims of photo hacking
  • Emma Watson was threatened on 4chan on Monday with the words 'you are next', suggesting naked pictures might be released of Harry Potter star
  • Gabrielle Union has admitted photos of her are genuine and shared with her husband Dwyane Wade
  • Apple said attacks were the result of 'very targeted attack' on users' details
  • Anonymous users on 4chan claim photos were stolen from firm's iCloud app


Naked photos hacked from celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Rhianna and Amber Heard are still believed to be easily accessible on social media sites.

Two topless images of Rihanna appeared online via 4chan and Reddit on Sunday while Heard has been one hardest-hit celebrities, with more than 50 nude snaps of her surfacing. According to TMZ, one featured a message believed to be for her fiancé Johnny Depp.

Despite stringent policies about removing abusive content, the images remained in the public sphere today - and were believed to be easily accessible on Twitter.

On Monday, a message directed at Emma Watson appeared on 4chan threatening her with the words 'You Are Next', suggesting that a hacker may be close to publishing naked pictures of the Harry Potter actress. 

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Rihanna has become one of the latest victims of the celebrity photo hacking scandal
Nude photos of Amber Heard have also surfaced online in the latest hacking wave

Rihanna (left) and Amber Heard (right) have become the latest victims in the iCloud hacking scandal. The Rum Diaries actress and fiancée of Johnny Deppy had more than 50 topless photos of her posted online

Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson co-hosts a special event organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on Saturday in New York. She was threatened on 4chan on Monday with the words 'you are next'

Actor and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson co-hosts a special event organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women on Saturday in New York. She was threatened on 4chan on Monday with the words 'you are next'

A website was also created with a countdown clock and a picture of Miss Watson crying. She was not named on the original list of celebrities targeted last month.

The actress was continuing her work as a UN Goodwill Ambassador on Saturday in New York City at  the launch of the HeForShe campaign in New York where she delivered a speech calling for men to play a greater role in ending gender inequality.

Image-sharing site 4chan has been quick to remove the boards where naked pictures have appeared in the past. 

Last month, during a previous leak of stolen, naked pictures -  where stars Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton were targeted - Twitter said it was shutting down accounts disseminating the images.

In response to a request for comment, a Twitter spokesman said in August: 'We do not comment on individual accounts, for privacy and security reasons,' and referred MailOnline to the company's content boundaries web page.

MailOnline was also awaiting a comment from Facebook today - although the naked pictures did not appear to be on the site.

In their online help guide, Facebook suggests that if users come across a harmful photograph to click on the image and select the 'report photo' tool.

An online legal expert previously told the OCRegister that despite celebrities' legal complaints, it was really a game of 'whack-a-mole' as it was near impossible to completely scrub the private pictures from the Internet.

Victim: Actress Gabrielle Union said in a statement photos of her that were published online are genuine

Victim: Actress Gabrielle Union said in a statement photos of her that were published online are genuine

Another huge wave of leaked images took place over the weekend - with nude photos of Kim Kardashian, Vanessa Hudgens, Kate Bosworth and Hope Solo all being released.

Gabrielle Union said she would be contacting the FBI after she confirmed images of her online were genuine.

Union said in a statement to TMZ alongside her husband Dwyane Wade: 'It has come to our attention it has come to our attention that our private moments, that were shared and deleted solely between my husband and myself, have been leaked by some vultures.

'I can’t help but to be reminded that since the dawn of time women and children, specifically women of color, have been victimized, and the power over their own bodies taken from them.

'These atrocities against women and children continue worldwide.'

In the wake of the stolen images, Union is reaching out to the FBI, TMZ reported.

'For anyone out there also being affected by these and other hacking and hate crimes - We send our love, support and prayers,' the statement also said. ' We have done nothing wrong.'

The other previously unseen images allegedly feature reality TV star Kim Kardashian, American goalkeeper Hope Solo and actresses Kaley Cuoco and Vanessa Hudgens.

They also reportedly include Nashville star Hayden Panettiere, singer Avril Lavigne and actress-turned-fashion designer Mary-Kate Olson.

It comes just three weeks after naked photos of actress Jennifer Lawrence and '100 other stars', including supermodel Kate Upton and actress Aubrey Plaza, were published online.

Although most of the latest victims were named on an original list of targeted celebrities, posted by a hacker to the anonymous image-sharing forum 4chan last month, Kim Kardashian was not.

Reality star: Nude pictures allegedly showing TV personality Kim Kardashian (pictured) have been leaked online

Reality star: Nude pictures allegedly showing TV personality Kim Kardashian (pictured) have been leaked online

The latest wave of naked images are also alleged to feature actress Vanessa Hudgens (left) and American goalkeeper Hope Solo
latest wave of naked images are also alleged to feature actress Vanessa Hudgens (left) and American goalkeeper Hope Solo (right)

Victims: The latest wave of naked images are also alleged to feature actress Vanessa Hudgens (left) and American goalkeeper Hope Solo (right). They were reportedly posted to image-sharing forum 4chan and Reddit

Kaley Cuoco (left), who plays Penny in The Big Bang Theory (right), was named as a victim last month

Targeted: Kaley Cuoco (left), who plays Penny in The Big Bang Theory (right), was named as a victim last month

According to TMZ, the images were reportedly uploaded to 4chan and Reddit, but the latter quickly removed them due to its stringent policy on hacked photographs being shared on the site.

While a representative for Kardashian declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline, the snaps which allegedly feature her have garnered much attention. 

They show a woman who resembles the star taking nude selfies in a bathroom setting.

It is not the first time Kim, who is married to rapper Kanye West, has had to deal with racy material being leaked to the public. In 2007, her sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray-J was published online.

The reality star filed a lawsuit against the tape's distributors, Vivid Enetrtainment, which was finalled dropped when she settled for $5 million.

Actress: Hayden Panettiere was also allegedly a victim in the latest online leak of naked celebrity photos

Actress: Hayden Panettiere was also allegedly a victim in the latest online leak of naked celebrity photos

Another victim: According to E! Online, nude photos allegedly showing singer Avril Lavigne (pictured) and actresses Leelee Sobieski and Lake Bell have also been uploaded online.

Another victim: According to E! Online, nude photos allegedly showing singer Avril Lavigne (pictured) and actresses Leelee Sobieski and Lake Bell have also been uploaded online.

t is not the first time Kim (pictured, right, in a Twitter image), married to Kanye West (left), has had to deal with racy material being leaked to the public.
Posing: It is not the first time Kim (pictured in a Twitter image), married to Kanye West, has had to deal with racy material being leaked to the public. In 2007, her sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray-J was published online

Posing: It is not the first time Kim (pictured, right, in a Twitter image), married to Kanye West (left), has had to deal with racy material being leaked to the public. In 2007, her sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray-J was leaked

The same year, Vanessa was forced to issue an apology after private photos of her were leaked online at the time she was appearing in Disney's High School Musical 2.

According to E! Online, nude photos allegedly showing actresses Leelee Sobieski and Lake Bell were also uploaded online this morning.

Three weeks ago, compromising images of dozens of celebrities - including model Cara Delevingne and Jessica Brown Findlay - emerged online after a hacker reportedly gained access to their iCloud accounts and stole their pictures.

While it appears that she was unaffected by the attacks, actress Cameron Diaz recently expressed her thoughts on the scandal while in London to promote her latest movie Sex Tape.

Scandal: It comes just three weeks after naked photos of actress Jennifer Lawrence (left) and '100 other stars', including supermodel Kate Upton and actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, were published online

Scandal: It comes just three weeks after naked photos of actress Jennifer Lawrence (left) and '100 other stars', including supermodel Kate Upton and actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, were published online

Mary Elizabeth Winstead (left) tweeted that nude photographs of her were taken with her husband 'years ago in the privacy of our home', while actress Aubrey Plaza (right) was also an alleged victim of the leak
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (left) tweeted that nude photographs of her were taken with her husband 'years ago in the privacy of our home', while actress Aubrey Plaza (right) was also an alleged victim of the leak

Stars: Mary Elizabeth Winstead (left) tweeted that nude photographs of her were taken with her husband 'years ago in the privacy of our home', while actress Aubrey Plaza (right) was also an alleged victim of the leak

Speaking on ITV's This Morning in the UK, she said: 'Whoever has done it, they will be caught and made examples of. This can happen to anyone. If these guys can do it to this group of people then everyone's vulnerable to it.

'I think that people really need to look at... how would they feel if it happened to them?'

The hacking is believed to have been the result of 'a very targeted attack' on celerbrity's ICloud accounts

The hacking is believed to have been the result of 'a very targeted attack' on celerbrity's ICloud accounts

Last month, actress Kirsten Dunst became the first celebrity to publicly criticize technology giant Apple when she posted a sarcastic message on Twitter.

The Spiderman star tweeted 'Thank you iCloud', the day after naked photos of her were published online.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lawrence, a three-time Oscar nominee who won for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, contacted authorities after the images began appearing.

'This is a flagrant violation of privacy,' Lawrence's publicist Liz Mahoney wrote in a statement.

'The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence.' 

Apple has denied that its iCloud system was compromised during the attacks, which were the result of 'a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions'.

'We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report,' Apple spokeswoman Nat Kerris earlier told MailOnline.

The firm, which said it was 'outraged' by the security breach, has now advised worried customers to update their accounts with a 'strong' password and enable two-step verification.

WHAT IS 4CHAN? HOW THE NAKED PHOTOS OF CELEBRITIES SPREAD ONLINE

4Chan is an image-based forum where users can post photos and videos anonymously, as well as comment on others' posts.

Registration is not required, nor possible. The site is split into various boards, each with their own specific content and guidelines.

These include content on music, photography, gaming, comics, fashion and images of celebrities, such as Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton and Kim Kardashian.

Forum: In the latest hack, the nude celebrity photos were posted on 4chan, before being shared on forums on Reddit. Above, 'The Fappening' subreddit allows thousands of subscribers to view the graphic pictures

Forum: In the latest hack, the nude celebrity photos were posted on 4chan, before being shared on forums on Reddit. Above, 'The Fappening' subreddit allows thousands of subscribers to view the graphic pictures

Its main board, called 'Random', features minimal rules on what can be posted. It is often where controversial images and videos are uploaded by users.

When it launched in 2003, the site was used to post photos and discuss Japanese anime.

However, it quickly expanded, and is now linked to various internet subcultures and activism.

It has also been linked to a number of high-profile hacks.

Last month, actress Kirsten Dunst became the first celebrity to publicly criticize technology giant Apple when she posted a sarcastic message on Twitter

Last month, actress Kirsten Dunst became the first celebrity to publicly criticize technology giant Apple when she posted a sarcastic message on Twitter

In 2006, users of 4chan and other websites 'raided' American white nationalist Hal Turner by launching multiple attacks and prank calling his phone-in radio show.

Meanwhile, in 2008, the Yahoo email account of Sarah Palin was hacked by an anonymous 4chan user, before posting her password and screenshots on Wikileaks. 

In the latest hack, the nude celebrity photos were posted on 4chan, before being shared on forums on Reddit and other social networking sites. 

One such forum, called 'The Fappening', allows thousands of subscribers to view the graphic pictures, provides advice on how to share them online and protects the identity of the unnamed hacker. 

In a post a few weeks ago, the moderator of the subreddit told users that they must not post any information, true or false, about the identity of the person leaking the photos.

He or she wrote: 'If you do that, you will be banned from this subreddit.'

The moderator, using the handle 'thefappeningmod', went on to list an array of other domains that subscribers can use to access the nude pictures.

Every time the subreddit, along with 'live updates' is deleted, a new forum is opened.

According to a recent report from the live broadcast, the hacker has more than 2GB worth of footage that they may release to the public for free. 

Other celebrities named in the original list of 'victims' that are yet to see any photos appear include actress Selena Gomez, model Cara Delevingne, Hilary Duff and Rachel Nicols.


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