Hackers find celebrities' weak links to bypass digital defences

Los Angeles

IN December, hackers impersonating an executive at Interscope Records, the record label owned by Universal Music Group, managed to bypass all the latest digital defences with an email.

In the message, the hackers urged an executive at September Management, a music management business, and another at Cherrytree Music Co, a management and record company, to send them Lady Gaga's stem files - files used by music engineers and producers for remixing and remastering.