Lulz Security, a group of highly-skilled computer hackers who operate under the motto, “The world’s leaders in high-quality entertainment at your expense”, was recently dealt a blow when two individuals linked to the organization pled guilty to numerous computer crimes. Two other suspects who were arrested around the same time pled not guilty to the charges. According to British police, high-profile Lulz Security members T-flow and Topiary are counted amongst those currently in custody.
Ryan Cleary, 20, and Jake Davis, 19, admitted to officials that they, along with other fellow hackers, had plotted to attack numerous government, media, and law enforcement websites last year. According to reports, the group, which is an offshoot of the hacker collective Anonymous, was behind the penetration of the Sony Pictures website in 2011. Additionally, the group also claimed responsibility for hacking into the PBS website and posting a story about fake news story about Tupac Shakur’s posthumous life in New Zealand.
However, following an announcement which claimed the group was to retire, Lulz Security allegedly made their way into websites for newspapers owned by News Corporation, during which they falsely reported owner Rupert Murdoch’s death.
Following the PBS incident last year, the group set forth on a hacking rampage, leaving a trail of compromised websites in their wake, including Britain’s Serious and Organized Crime Agency, InfraGard, and Arizona Department of Public Safety. Their reign of cyber terror came to an end when the FBI discovered the group’s leader, Sabu, was FBI informant Hector Xavier Monsegur. The revelation soon led to the arrest of a number of Monsegur’s cohorts.