Hackers Hit Timberlake And Gaga

Police in Germany are investigating allegations that two hackers have stolen unreleased songs by getting into computers of acts including Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha and Kelly Clarkson.

It seems the pair – a 17-year-old high school student and a 23-year-old unemployed man from Wesel – were only caught when they reportedly obtained a picture of Ke$ha naked and having sex and tried to blackmail the 24-year-old singer.

The two are alleged to have worked together to use Trojan malware to hack into the artists’ computers.

Duisburg’s chief prosecutor Rolf Haferkamp says they’re believed to have earned more than euro 10,000 ($13,210) from illegally selling the tracks in the 12 months before they were discovered.

Local media reports identified the two only as Deniz A., an amateur disc jockey known as “DJ Stolen,” and Christian M.

German newspaper Bild quoted Deniz A. as saying he didn’t mean to do any harm.

“I’m a fan and I just wanted to have cool music. I’m no blackmailer,” he said.

Haferkamp said the police were informed of the hacking after a fan of Kelly Clarkson alerted her management that unreleased songs of the singer were being sold online.

He said the pair of hackers have been under investigation for “several months” and the authorities have a 1,000-page file on them.

The investigation is likely to last at least another month and could lead to both hackers facing criminal charges that potentially carry a five-year prison sentence.