TORONTO –Top members associated with the computer hacking collective LulzSec were charged in New York on Tuesday in connection with a series of cyber attacks.
But who is LulzSec and what are they known for?
Name: LulzSec is short for Lulz Security. “Lulz” is a variation of the Internet slang “lol” which means “laugh out loud.” Lulz can also be understood as “laughs,” or “amusement.”
Date of birth: The group is thought to have formed last May, and were most active in May and June 2011.
Relatives: LulzSec is reported to be an elite organization of hackers that is linked to the online “hacktivist” group Anonymous, as well as the offshoot groups “Internet Feds” and “AntiSec.”
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Hobbies: Theft of confidential information, defacing websites, and cyber attacks
“Leader” charged: Alleged ringleader Hector Xavier Monsegur aka “Sabu” is the fifth member to be charged, and has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in computer hacking, among other offences. He faces a maximum sentence of 124 years and six months in prison.
Other charges & arrests: Ryan Ackroyd, Darren Martyn, Donncha O’Cearrbhail and Jake Davis were charged March 6, 2012 with computer hacking conspiracy. Alleged LulzSec spokesman Jake Davis was previously arrested in Scotland in July 2011, and his criminal charges in the UK are still pending. English teen Ryan Cleary was arrested in June.
Public outing: Charges were laid after a fellow LulzSec member turned against the group and began secretly working as an FBI informant several months ago. BBC reports LulzSec suspects were discussed in a private phone conversation between London detectives and FBI agents that Anonymous posted to YouTube in February.
Alleged targets: Businesses, governments and cyber-security firms worldwide, including: Visa, MasterCard and PayPal, government computers in Tunisia, Algeria, Yemen and Zimbabwe, Fox Broadcasting Co. and Tribune Co., Sony Pictures, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the U.S. Senate
Famous fake post: LulzSec is said to have posted a story that murdered rapper Tupac Shakur was, in fact, alive and living in New Zealand, bolstering many conspiracy theories.
Notable cyber-attack: Court papers say Monsegur and his team attacked the PBS website in retaliation for what they considered unfavourable coverage of the Wikileaks story.
With files from The Associated Press
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