COURT DOC: Six Hackers in the United States and Abroad Charged for Crimes Affecting Over One Million Victims

Five computer hackers in the United States and abroad were charged today, and a sixth pled guilty, for computer hacking and other crimes. The six hackers identified themselves as aligned with the group Anonymous, which is a loose confederation of computer hackers and others, and/or offshoot groups related to Anonymous, including ‘Internet Feds,’ ‘LulzSec,’ and ‘AntiSec.’

RYAN ACKROYD, a/k/a ‘kayla,’ a/k/a ‘lol’ a/k/a ‘lolspoon’; JAKE DAVIS, a/k/a ‘topiary,’ a/k/a ‘atopiary’; DARREN MARTYN, a/k/a ‘pwnsauce,’ a/k/a ‘raepsauce,’ a/k/a ‘networkkitten’; and DONNCHA OCEARRBHAIL, a/k/a ‘palladium,’ who identified themselves as members of Anonymous, Internet Feds, and/or LulzSec, were charged in an indictment unsealed today in Manhattan federal court with computer hacking conspiracy involving the hacks of Fox Broadcasting Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and the Public Broadcasting Service (‘PBS’). OCEARRBHAIL is also charged in a separate criminal complaint with intentionally disclosing an unlawfully intercepted wire communication.

HECTOR XAVIER MONSEGUR, a/k/a ‘Sabu,’ a/k/a ‘Xavier DeLeon,’ a/k/a ‘Leon,’ who also identified himself as a member of Anonymous, Internet Feds, and LulzSec, pled guilty on August 15, 2011 in U.S. District Court to a 12-count information charging him with computer hacking conspiracies and other crimes. MONSEGURS information and guilty plea were unsealed today. The crimes to which MONSEGUR pled guilty include computer hacking conspiracy charges initially filed in the Southern District of New York. He also pled guilty to the following charges: a substantive hacking charge initially filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of California related to the hacks of HBGary, Inc. and HBGary Federal LLC; a substantive hacking charge initially filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Central District of California related to the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Fox Broadcasting Company; a substantive hacking charge initially filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Northern District of Georgia related to the hack of Infragard Members Alliance; and a substantive hacking charge initially filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Eastern District of Virginia related to the hack of PBS, all of which were transferred to the Southern District of New York, pursuant to Rule 20 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, in coordination with the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (‘CCIPS’) in the Justice Departments Criminal Division.

Late yesterday, JEREMY HAMMOND, a/k/a ‘Anarchaos,’ a/k/a ‘sup_g,’ a/k/a ‘burn,’ a/k/a ‘yohoho,’ a/k/a ‘POW,’ a/k/a ‘tylerknowsthis,’ a/k/a ‘crediblethreat,’ who identified himself as a member of AntiSec, was arrested in Chicago, Illinois and charged in a criminal complaint with crimes relating to the December 2011 hack of Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (‘Stratfor’), a global intelligence firm in Austin, Texas, which may have affected approximately 860,000 victims. In publicizing the Stratfor hack, members of AntiSec reaffirmed their connection to Anonymous and other related groups, including LulzSec. For example, AntiSec members published a document with links to the stolen Stratfor data titled, ‘Anonymous Lulzxmas rooting you proud’ on a file sharing website. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)