Lulzsec Hackers and "Sabu" Arrested. What Impact Will This Have on Anonymous?
Today in Manhattan, in a stunning reveal for the hacking community, the feds released documents and publicized the arrests of six hackers from LulzSec who are allegedly connected with Anonymous. Does this signal the beginning of the end to Anonymous' global activist impact on governments, corporations and institutions that run counter to what it deems the public good?
Five of the suspects, who law enforcement states as among the "most sophisticated hackers in the world," were arrested in the United States and Europe. According to the indictment, the charges identify their alleged role in cyberattacks against government agencies and large companies.
The sixth man, Hector Xavier Monsegur, is the suspected leader of the hacking group Lulzsec. Monsegur cooperated with government investigators in a plea deal. From August when he pled guilty to 12 charges related to conspiracy and cyber hacking, until now, he helped build a case against the other five defendants, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. Monsegur carried out over a dozen cyber attacks on major companies that included the websites of eBay's PayPal, MasterCard Inc and Visa Inc, in December 2010 and June 2011. The cyber hacking was revenge against those companies because they refused to receive donations to sustain Wikileaks. Wikileaks originally blew the whistle and leaked cables exposing sensitive and embarrassing government corruption and information. Monsegur, alias "Sabu," was released on bail of a $50,000 bond.
Court documents state that when Mr Monsegur formed LulzSec last May, he acted as a "rooter" scouting out weaknesses in targets' computer security systems. With like-minded recruits he allegedly attacked the US Senate, the cyber security firm Unveillance and the American media group PBS. LulzSec was the secret group which formed Lulz Security as a cover it used. Along with Anonymous both have acknowledged attacks against companies and institutions as far reaching as the CIA, Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency, Japan's Sony Corp, Mexican government websites, the Polish government website and the national police in Ireland.
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