London,
(ANI):
In
a
bid
to
steal
unreleased
songs
and
issue
blackmail
threats
over
intimate
photographs,
two
German
hackers
allegedly
gained
access
to
the
computers
of
over
50
pop
stars,
including
Justin
Timberlake
and
Lady
Gaga,
prosecutors
have
said.
According
to
German
police,
the
pair,
a
17-year-old
from
Duisburg
and
a
23-year-old
from
the
nearby
town
of
Wessel,
used
nothing
more
than
perseverance
and
simple
invasive
programmes
called
Trojans,
which
can
break
into
private
computer
networks.
But
they
allegedly
hacked
into
a
string
of
world
famous
stars'
computers
and
downloaded
hundreds
of
documents
including
music,
credit
card
details,
emails
and
photographs.
Their
haul
included
a
picture
of
the
American
singer
Kesha,
reportedly
naked
and
having
sex.
Prosecutors
said
that
the
two
had
tried
to
blackmail
the
24-year-old
singer,
but
no
money
changed
hands.
Happy
with
their
success,
the
duo
allegedly
bragged
on
Internet
forums
about
their
ability
to
hack
into
the
computers
of
A-list
celebrities.
But
prosecutors
believe
their
main
goal
was
unreleased
musical
material,
which
can
fetch
high
prices
on
the
Internet.
They
sold
some
of
the
music
they
had
obtained.
"Basically
we
are
talking
about
illegal,
bootlegged
publication,
and
spying
using
Trojans," the
Telegraph
quoted
state
prosecutor
Rolf
Haferkamp,
as
telling
newspaper
Neue
Ruhr/Neuer
Rhein
Zeitung.
"The
trick
itself
is
nothing
special.
All
it
requires
is
a
bit
of
know-how
and
perseverance
to
achieve
criminal
success."
He
added
that
the
hacking
had
forced
a
number
of
singers
to
bring
forward
record
release
dates.
The
alleged
crime
came
to
light
only
when
fans
of
Kelly
Clarkson,
another
targeted
singer,
tipped
her
off
about
unreleased
music
available
on
the
Internet.
She
informed
the
police,
triggering
an
investigation
involving
the
FBI
and
the
German
Federal
Police
Service.
While
the
two
have
not
been
charged,
some
newspaper
reports
claimed
they
had
already
confessed
to
the
police.