Cyberattack on Ghostbusters actor Leslie Jones being investigated by US Homeland Security

Following a cyberattack on the website of Ghostbusters actress Leslie Jones, the Homeland Security investigations unit in New York has said that is "has an open investigation into the matter", said a spokesperson for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on Thursday (24 August).

Naked photos and personal data about Jones, 48, leaked online on Wednesday (23 August) by a hacker on her website, as well as her passport and driver's licence.

"As a matter of agency policy, we are unable to disclose any information related to an active investigation," a spokeswoman said according to a Guardian report.

The inquiry was launched within 24 hours after Jones' website, JustLeslie.com, was taken down, with it thought that the hackers stole the images from her iCloud account. There were also racist insults including an image of dead Cincinnati Zoo gorilla Harambe, which was also published.

It's suggested that the involvement of DHS points to the hack originated from outside of the US, reported Engadget.

Ghostbusters director, Paul Feig was outraged by the attack on the comic, tweeting: "Leslie Jones is one of the greatest people I know. Any personal attacks against her are attacks against us all."

Celebrities came to the defence of Jones. Katy Perry tweeted: "Do not give your eyeballs to this racist, hate-filled, misogynoir crime. I StandWithLeslie."

Lisa Dunham also showed her support, tweeting: "Let's turn our anger at trolls into love for Leslie Jones and into strategies to protect all the heroines who don't deserve this b*******."

In 2014, nude photos of more than 100 celebrities, including Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence, were leaked online.The cyber attack Lawrence was investigated by the FBI, after Apple confirmed that nude photos of her were accessed through hacking of iCloud accounts, then published online.

The social media company permanently suspended numerous accounts and announced a new "quality filter" earlier in August, which is designed to allow users to deal with trolls and abusive posts, according to a BBC report.