If you haven’t heard of LulzSec before, here’s the skinny: They’re the guys hacking every big name they can, just in an attempt to prove that they can. Everyone from the big gaming companies, most notably Sony, to TV channel websites like PBS have been targeted by this group. But if you’re sick of the group’s antics, you’ll be happy to know that they may have got some comeuppance, as a man suspected to be part of the group was arrested today.
The 19-year old Essex man, named Ryan Cleary, was arrested by Scotland Yard in suspicion of violating the Computer Misuse Act and Fraud Act. He was believed to have been involved in an attack on the Serious Organized Crime Agency website, and purportedly stole the 2011 census database. A post believed to have been made by LulzSec followed this same story, hence the man’s suspicion of being involved with the group.
Scotland Yard confirmed this suspicion, and later searched the man’s computer for any data regarding the April attack on PSN, or any information from Sony in general. They later found “a significant amount of material,” though whether or not there is any connection to any of the Sony attacks is currently unknown.
Though all signs point to LulzSec being in serious trouble, they themselves are playing it cool. They recently denied any link to Ryan Cleary on their Twitter account, saying that they’re still here and that they aren’t finished yet. They also joked that they hacked into every website in the world, though they did deny hacking into the census database, saying it was a rumor started by people “stupider than you or I.”
It can certainly be said that LulzSec appears to be backtracking now that one of their own could be in custody. Still, until more information surfaces, we can’t be completely sure that this Ryan Cleary is part of the group. It wouldn’t be unlikely that he is just an unconnected hacker, looking for some attention by claiming to be a part of a bigger group.
Do you think Cleary is part of LulzSec? If so, will this mean trouble for the group?
Stay tuned for more information as it surfaces.
UPDATE: LulzSec further explained their point, saying that Cleary is, at best, loosely associated with them. They explained that they use one of his IRC servers for chats, but they use many servers and aren’t associated with them. They also mocked the UK police for arresting someone like Cleary, saying it’s a sign of how desperate they are to catch them.
It was revealed, however, that despite not being part of LulzSec, Cleary is a noted hacker, and was originally part of Anonymous. Anonymous has yet to respond.
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Source: Develop Online, Telegraph
