Teenager arrested in Essex over LulzSec hacking attacks

[onehandle]

Source: Guardian

The international hunt for hackers believed to have staged high-profile attacks on websites ranging from law enforcement bodies to Sony has led to the arrest of a teenager based in Essex, police say. The hackers known as LulzSec claim to have been behind attacks on websites around the world, including the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), the US Senate and the CIA, as well as the games firms Nintendo and Sony.

British police said intelligence led them to arrest the 19-year-old at a home in Wickford, Essex, over the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The teenager is Ryan Cleary, who lived at his family home. Investigators believe the arrest is significant and linked to the attacks based mainly at websites belonging to US institutions and organisations.

The operation involved two British forces as well as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The police said they believed the attacks were linked and were carried out by the same group of hackers.

The teenager was being questioned at a London police station while specialist officers examined computer equipment seized from the address he was arrested at. The Metropolitan police said: "Officers from the Metropolitan police central e-crime unit (PCeU) have arrested a 19-year-old man in a pre-planned intelligence-led operation.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/21/hackers-lulzsec-arrest-essex-census

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UK radio had claimed the teen was a 'ringleader' of LulzSec.

LulzSec says not, but if they are targeting banks, it's only a matter of time.

[Ian David]

1. I can finally sleep with my windows open again. n/t

[bemildred]

2. At last the Internet is safe once more. nt

[Wait Wut]

3. Bummer.

Guess he should have had tighter internet security. :rofl:

[MineralMan]

4. Oh, wow! You mean he wasn't really anonymous?

I'm shocked. Truly I am. :rofl:

Folks: Leave the CIA alone when you venture to hack things. The NSA, too. They don't like it when you do.

[liberalmuse.com]

5. LINKS!!

http://gizmodo.com/5813954/alleged-lulzsec-hacker-arrested-in-england

http://smarthouse.com.au/Home_Office/Security_And_Support/M2A6S8Q5

[boppers]

25. Nice links.

Apparently, they nabbed the guy who ran an IRC server.

Which is kind of like claiming to have taken down al-Queda because a guy who sold them cell phones got arrested.

[villager]

6. someone they claim as "ringleader" you mean, hoping the hacking will now stop?

:shrug:

[xchrom]

7. +1

[still_one]

9. Hacking won't stop, but they have to start throwing the book at these people. /nt

[villager]

10. I actually kind of like it when "these people" throw the book back at the elites

n/t

[Wait Wut]

14. Elites?

Do you mean 8 year olds with Facebook/Twitter/Warcraft accounts? Moms with Paypal accounts?

Yeah, those "elites" are pretty friggin horrible. They deserve what they get. Who cares that what they're doing is a criminal act? ANARCHY!!! SCREW THE ESTABLISHMENT!!!

:eyes:

[villager]

15. Was thinking of the banks, actually....

Regardless of how stupid some of the Lulz hacks were, clearly, only an "asymmetrical" response can possibly help get the boot off our necks, at this point...

Wonder if this trophy arrest would've been announced had not the Lulzers announced that they were teaming with Anonymous to take on-- oh yeah: The banks!

[still_one]

23. I knew what you meant, however, the hacking of credit card numbers and the like is also what is

happening

Not sure if it is ture, but rumors were around that netflix was down Sunday night due to hackers

There is not too fine a line between a prank and vandalism in some cases

[boppers]

22. Oooh, a "think of the children" post!

:eyes:

[here_is_to_hope]

13. yeah, u mad...

Thats alright though, we all gotta hate something.

[villager]

16. Glad to see a free-reign bigot with a heart overflowing with love!

;-)

[here_is_to_hope]

27. lmao... n/t

:)

[-..__...]

28. Hackers are the dregs of society...

just a notch or two above Juggalos and Guidos.

[gkhouston]

17. Hey, they scooped their number 10 man!

Hmm, looks more impressive in decimal than in binary, doesn't it?

[boppers]

24. In binary that's two or one.

Depending on which direction the bits are going. Just FYI.

[gkhouston]

26. It's two. As in "Great news! We've just kill the #2 al Qaeda guy!"

I'm detecting an element of hype around this "we got the ringleader!" report.

[still_one]

8. Good /nt

[CTuttle]

11. Update from Lulzsec...

Update: Lulzsec have tweeted in response to the arrest, saying “seems the glorious leader of LulzSec got arrested, it’s all over now… wait… we’re all still here! Which poor bastard did they take down?” The suspect has been named by the press as Ryan Cleary, and is thought to be an ex-member of notorious hacking organisation, Anonymous.

:nuke:

[DCKit]

12. Too funny. How is it even possible that to happen in this day and age? nt

[Demeter]

18. It's Wishful Thinking by the "Law"

[Canuckistanian]

19. That kid would have got away with it...

...if not for those meddlesome adults.

[Corruption Winz]

20. My favorite part of this story is that they attacked the security of two nations...

But.. I mean, c'mon... a guy's gotta get the cheat codes to Zelda.

[KittyWampus]

21. Put him on the fucking payroll.