HOLLYWOOD STATARS… HACKED!
Cyberhackers have targeted top entertainment lawyers and are threatening to release information about their high-profile clients
Some of Hollywood’s biggest A-listers are living in fear after a top New York law firm was hit by a massive cyberattack last week.
The hack, believed to be orchestrated by Eastern European group “Revil”, is demanding Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks fork out $64 million to protect further leaks on their clients, who include the likes of Robert De Niro, Lady Gaga, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Shania Twain and Madonna.
The group, which has already released a screenshot excerpt from Madonna’s recent Madame X tour on the dark web, claims to have obtained more than 700 gigabytes of information from the firm, including contracts, non-disclosure agreements, contact information and private correspondence, which could spell trouble for stars who have a reputation for scandal.
DAMAGE CONTROL
“Stars get into trouble, and their lawyers get them out of it. It’s as simple as that,” one legal insider tells Woman’s Day.
“If a star had been having an affair that ended badly or if they’d been arrested, their first call would be to their lawyer, and anything the star says is protected under attorneyclient privilege. That means lawyers handle contracts with information on diva demands, money issues and the intimate details the public never gets to hear,” explains the insider. “If those emails are revealed, all hell would break loose!”
There’s growing speculation Elton John would be a prime target of the group, given the star has lived a colourful life on and off the stage.
Between former drug and alcohol addiction, historic feuds and details about his court showdown with his former lover and manager John Reid, there’s no telling of the damage hackers could place on his public image.
SECRETS EXPOSED
Meanwhile, pop superstars Lady Gaga and Madonna were the first stars to feel the wrath of the group, who have slowly begun leaking contract details and payment records, including confidential information about the stars’ ambassadorships, spending habits and personal schedules.
The hacked firm’s head, Allen Grubman, has been a key figure in Hollywood since the 1970s and is renowned for representing high-profile
clients and keeping their secrets under lock and key.
A 1998 Los Angeles Times article called him the “ultimate insider” in the music industry. Last week, the firm confirmed it had been a victim of the cyberattack and declared it has “hired the world’s experts” who are “working around the clock” to solve it.
“The hacked information absolutely cannot be made public. It would be devastating to the clients,” says the insider.
“Contracts could be jeopardised and careers damaged beyond repair. A few A-list clients are hiring outside counsel to determine how this could have happened.”
SECURITY FEARS
In a posting online, the hackers are demanding the firm cough up a ransom to keep the confidential files out of the public domain.
According to sources, the group’s extortion plot requested $32 million in cryptocurrency bitcoin.
Entertainment lawyer Gordon Firemark says, “Lawyers have a professional responsibility to keep a client’s information confidential.
“Keeping everything close to the chest is the value of negotiating a good deal. But with a hack, clients risk the scorn of their fans if their salaries are exposed.
“Information such as assumed names and addresses could also be used by stalkers – and tour contracts could reveal if a celebrity has a medical condition, which could be harmful if the information got out.”
REPS DESTROYED
This hack has drawn comparisons to the 2014 Sony email leak, which divulged a host of private exchanges between execs and stars.
They revealed George Clooney said he’d lost sleep over bad reviews, and in an email exchange, an exec referred to Angelina Jolie as a “minimally talented spoiled brat”. Aliases used by celebs to protect their identities were also made public in that leak.
Referring to the Grubman breach, a source reveals, “There’s fear the information in this current hack could expose personal secrets about fiercely private A-listers, like which stars are broke, which celebrities are cheating and even hints that point at which ones have sordid sexual fantasies.”
‘What the stars say is protected under attorneyclient privilege’