Australian police arrest alleged leader of LulzSec hacking group
Australian Federal Police arrest man who reportedly called himself the leader of the hacking group, which has been the target of recent prosecution after a brief hacking run in 2011.
The Australian Federal Police has reportedly arrested a man who describes himself as the "leader" of the LulzSec hacking group.
The 24-year-old man was arrested on hacking charges Tuesday in the coastal town of Point Clare, according to ABC News Australia, which first reported the arrest. The report did not reveal that man's identity.
The arrest comes two weeks after three members of hacker group pleaded guilty in a British court to carrying out cyberattacks against various media and entertainment companies and the U.K. National Health Service.
LulzSec emerged on the hacking scene in 2011, claiming credit for attacks on Sony, the CIA, the U.S. Senate, and FBI, among many other groups. The group also targeted Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal after the companies stopped allowing individuals to provide financial support to WikiLeaks.
After a 50-day hacking blitz, the group suddenly announced in June of that year that it was leaving the hacking world, saying that its time was up. In March 2012, the FBI arrested several members of LulzSec and Anonymous. Law enforcement officials were able to nab the hacker group members after their former leader, Hector Xavier Monsegur aka Sabu, turned on them.