The most recent leak of celebrity pictures onto 4chan and Reddit user message boards included 55 more pictures of Jennifer Lawrence, the first 'victim' of the celebrity nude photo leak.
But what is The Fappening and why has it occurred for a third time as rumours abound that Selena Gomez could be the next to be exposed.
- In August, almost 200 private pictures of various female celebrities were posted on 4chan, and later disseminated by other users on websites and social networks such as Reddit, where sub forums were created
- The word 'Fappening' is said to come from the term 'The Happening' combined with the lewd slang term, to 'fap'
- It is alleged the images were stored on Apple devices and backed up using iCloud devices. The company has denied claims of a security breach but chief executive Tim Cook has said steps will be taken in the future to protect privacy.
- There are claims that many more unreleased photos and videos exist
The latest leak includes Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor, soap opera star Alexandra Chando, "Going the Distance" actress Kelli Garner, "American Beauty" actress Mena Suvari, "Step Up: All In" actress Briana Evigan, TV presenter Brook Burns, and actress Lauren O'Neil.
Earlier this month, Apple denied that the photos were accessed through a flaw in its iCloud system.
"None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple's systems including iCloud or Find my iPhone," a spokesman said.
