LexisNexis Probe May Be Tied to Hilton Cellphone Hack

LOS ANGELES — The ongoing investigation of hackers breaking into LexisNexis’ database may be tied to the theft of celebrity contact numbers and topless photos from the cellphone of Paris Hilton, an FBI spokesman said.

Investigators last week seized computers and other evidence from several individuals as part of a nationwide probe of the LexisNexis breach, in which the hackers gained access to 310,000 personal records.

The FBI said it is investigating whether the suspects used email pretending to contain child pornography to trick people into downloading software capable of capturing passwords needed to infiltrate LexisNexis' computers.

One of the hackers posed as a T-Mobile supervisor to get another employee to reveal a password into its network to get Hilton's cellphone data, FBI officials said. Later, conspiring hackers exploited a software flaw in the system.

Earlier this year, several websites published topless Hilton photos, private notes and phone numbers of her celebrity friends.

So far three people have been served search warrants in California, Minnesota and North Carolina, according to FBI spokesman Paul Bresson, who noted that his agency is working in concert with the Secret Service over the break-ins.

According to the FBI, the LexisNexis breach was set in motion by a blast of spam that included a message urging recipients to open an attached file to view child pornography. The attachments had nothing to do with child porn but the files contained a program that allowed the hackers to record anything a recipient typed on the surfer’s computer keyboard.

A police officer in Florida was among those who opened the infected email message, according to a report in the Washington Post. Not long after his computer was infected with the keystroke-capturing program, the officer logged on to his department's account at Accurint, a LexisNexis service provided by Florida-based subsidiary Seisint Inc., which sells access to consumer data. Other police officers' login information may have been similarly stolen.

The hackers apparently then created a series of sub-accounts using the police department's name and billing information, the Post said.

Over several days, the group looked up thousands of names in the database, including friends and celebrities. The law enforcement source said members of the group eventually began selling Social Security numbers and other sensitive consumer information to a ring of identity thieves in California.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Pornhub Blocks Access in France in Response to SREN Law

Pornhub parent company Aylo has opted to block access to its sites in France rather than comply with age verification requirements under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

ASACP Highlights Study on Parental Controls

The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is highlighting the results of a study on the underutilization of parental controls.

Sydney Screams Launches New Site Through Grooby's Blue.xxx

Sydney Screams has launched her new membership site, SydneyScreams.xxx, through Grooby's website management company Blue.xxx.

Mistress Mystii Is LoyalFans' 'Featured Creator' for June

LoyalFans has named Mistress Mystii as its Featured Creator for June.

Canadian Senator Revives Push for National AV Law

Sen. Julie Miville-Dechêne, whose previous multiple attempts to legislate national age verification requirements all failed, has introduced a new bill that would impose fines of up to $500,000 on adult sites that do not implement age verification for Canadian viewers.

Show More