Hacker legend turns on comrades
March 6, 2012
Five expert hackers from LulzSec, a spin-off from loose hacker network Anonymous that attacked government and corporate websites worldwide, were arrested and charged on Tuesday in New York after its ringleader turned on his comrades.
According to court papers unsealed on Tuesday, Hector Xavier Monsegur, known as Sabu in the hacking underworld, pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to engage in computer hacking, among other offenses.
US authorities said he formed LulzSec last May and, along with his fellow hackers, embarked a stream of attacks on government sites from Tunisia, Mexico, Yemen and Zimbabwe as well as corporate sites such as Visa, MasterCard and PayPal.
They stole confidential information, defaced websites and, in some cases, put their victims temporarily out of business.
The group also put out a false story on the PBS website, claiming that rapper Tupac Shakur was still alive in New Zealand.
Monsegur was also an influential member of Anonymous and Internet Feds. The court papers reveal that he worked as a so-called rooter, a computer hacker who identifies vulnerabilities in the computer systems of potential victims.
Irish police said on Tuesday that one of the five suspects was arrested and held at a Dublin police station.
ng / msh (AP, Reuters)