Meanwhile -- propelled by a bold-faced Drudge Report on a slow night -- celebrities' phones started ringing off the hook as it became clear that Hilton's latest online exposure included hundreds of usually hard-to-get phone numbers.
Most of the sites publishing the numbers quickly disappeared as owners and hosts heard from the Secret Service, but details and photos are still being passed around. The splashy story was T-Mobile's second recent burst of negative publicity over mobile security. Last month, the company faced a wave of criticism after the website SecurityFocus reported "a massive breach" of security that allowed a hacker access to customer information, including Social Security numbers and, in some cases, access to customer e-mail, including celebrity photos and other details.
The hacker, Nicolas Jacobsen, pleaded guilty in U. District Court last week and is scheduled to be sentenced in May. The site also reported that T-Mobile failed to notify affected customers of the breach -- an action required by California law.
In addition, the hacker had access for at least a year, SecurityFocus claimed. But T-Mobile's Zidar said the company contacted the Secret Service when it discovered the breach in October and notified all of those affected in writing in early , as soon as the Secret Service gave clearance. That investigation was part of an ongoing Secret Service action called Operation Firewall.
By coincidence, one of the agents involved in that investigation was one of the affected T-Mobile customers. The Sidekick allows owners to make phone calls, surf the Web, take pictures, and send e-mail and instant messages. It uses an online server to store at least some information, including phone numbers. The Drudge Report said it had confirmed the authenticity of many of the numbers and e-mail addresses, including those of rapper Eminem, actor Vin Diesel, actress Lindsay Lohan, singers Christina Aguilera and Ashlee Simpson, and tennis players Andy Roddick and Anna Kournikova.
The information was allegedly posted on Illmob. The FBI reportedly has opened an investigation. The company declined to say when the breach had occurred or when it was discovered, citing an ongoing investigation. The revelation comes a month after T-Mobile admitted that a hacker had gained access to the names and Social Security numbers of T-Mobile customers. The leak is bound to prompt a furious round of unplanned number changes among Hilton's coterie, after fans and curious Web surfers learned of the hack and began dialing their favorite celebrities.
Eminem's phone number was changed. Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst's voice mailbox was full. Tennis star Anna Kournikova's number was busy, despite repeated attempts to get through. Robert Shapiro's answering machine picked up when called and provided a number to page the star attorney in an emergency. Reached by phone, actor Kevin Connelly of the cable television show Entourage said he had received between and phone calls since early Sunday, as word of the hacked address book spread across the Internet.
Connelly plays opposite Adrian Grenier in the HBO show about a young celebrity and his colorful group of old school chums. He declined to comment on whether he knew Hilton or why his name appeared in her T-mobile phone list. Connelly, who received at least one other call while on the line with this reporter, said he would likely change his phone number today to stop the harassment.
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