Members of the hacking group LulzSec have pleaded guilty to hacking a number of websites. Ryan Cleary, 20, from Essex’s and Jake Davis, 19, from the Shetland Isles, admitting being part of the hacking group LulzSec.
Cleary confessed to four charges, including hacking into US Air Force Agency computers, based at the Pentagon. Both confessed to running denial of service attacks against a number of targets, including the websites of Sony, NHS, News International, 20th Century Fox and Nintendo.
While confessing to some of the charges, both Davis and Cleary denied allegations they posted ‘unlawfully obtained confidential computer data’ to public websites including the LulzSec website, and popular hacker dumping grounds Pirate Bay and PasteBin, in order to encourage offences contrary to the Serious Crime Act.
Lulzsec splintered from the better known hacking collective, Anonymous in mid 2011. They claimed responsibility for hacking the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) website. This turned the UK agency’s eyes towards the group, which likely contributed to the group’s eventual downfall.