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| LulzSec: US indicts Ryan Cleary over hacking of Sony and Fox | LulzSec: US indicts Ryan Cleary over hacking of Sony and Fox |
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Ryan Cleary, who is already "Cleary is a skilled hacker. He controlled his own botnet, employed sophisticated methods and his broad geographic scope affected a large number of businesses and individuals," said Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman. LulzSec, an offshoot of the international hacking group Anonymous, has taken credit for attacks on government and private sector websites. Anonymous and its offshoots, including LulzSec and AntiSec, initially focused on fighting attempts at internet regulation and the blocking of free illegal downloads, but have since taken on such targets as Scientology and the global banking system. | A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has indicted a 20-year-old British citizen on charges related to attacks by the LulzSec hacking group against the Fox and PBS television networks and Sony's film and TV studio. Ryan Cleary, who is already in custody in the United Kingdom where he faces prosecution over similar charges, is accused of joining other members of LulzSec in using hacked computers, known as a "botnet", to steal confidential information, deface websites or attack servers. He was indicted on Tuesday. "Cleary is a skilled hacker. He controlled his own botnet, employed sophisticated methods and his broad geographic scope affected a large number of businesses and individuals," said Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman. LulzSec, an offshoot of the international hacking group Anonymous, has taken credit for attacks on government and private sector websites. Anonymous and its offshoots, including LulzSec and AntiSec, initially focused on fighting attempts at internet regulation and the blocking of free illegal downloads, but have since taken on such targets as Scientology and the global banking system. |
In March court documents revealed that | The charges come just over two months after the accused LulzSec hacker Cody Kretsinger pleaded guilty in US district dourt in Los Angeles to taking part in an extensive computer breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In March court documents revealed that Anonymous's leader, "Sabu", whose real name is Hector Xavier Monsegur, had pleaded guilty to hacking-related charges and provided the FBI with information on fellow hackers. |
| According to the indictment released by the FBI, Cleary and his unnamed co-conspirators hacked into the computer systems of News Corp's Fox Entertainment Group and Sony Pictures Entertainment and stole confidential user information. The indictment also blames Cleary and his co-conspirators for defacing the PBS website and launching "denial of service" attacks against an online gaming website and Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency. | According to the indictment released by the FBI, Cleary and his unnamed co-conspirators hacked into the computer systems of News Corp's Fox Entertainment Group and Sony Pictures Entertainment and stole confidential user information. The indictment also blames Cleary and his co-conspirators for defacing the PBS website and launching "denial of service" attacks against an online gaming website and Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency. |
| Cleary is charged with one count of conspiracy and two counts of unauthorised impairment of a protected computer. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted. Eimiller said federal authorities would "allow the prosecution to take its course" against Cleary overseas before deciding whether to seek his extradition to the United States. He is next scheduled to be in court in the UK on 25 June. Anonymous, and LulzSec in particular, became notorious in late 2010 when they launched what they called the "first cyber-war" in retaliation for attempts to shut down the WikiLeaks website. They attacked websites including those of MasterCard, which had tried to block payments to WikiLeaks after apparent pressure from the US government following the release of thousands of diplomatic cables. | Cleary is charged with one count of conspiracy and two counts of unauthorised impairment of a protected computer. He faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison if convicted. Eimiller said federal authorities would "allow the prosecution to take its course" against Cleary overseas before deciding whether to seek his extradition to the United States. He is next scheduled to be in court in the UK on 25 June. Anonymous, and LulzSec in particular, became notorious in late 2010 when they launched what they called the "first cyber-war" in retaliation for attempts to shut down the WikiLeaks website. They attacked websites including those of MasterCard, which had tried to block payments to WikiLeaks after apparent pressure from the US government following the release of thousands of diplomatic cables. |
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