Self-Proclaimed LulzSec Leader Arrested In Australia 127
New submitter AlbanX writes "An IT professional working in Sydney has been arrested for hacking a government website as part of the LulzSec movement. The 24-year-old man, residing in Point Clare, was arrested at his workplace late yesterday. He claimed to be the leader of the hacker movement. 'Police say he was in a "position of trust" within the company and had access to information on government clients. The AFP says its investigation began less than two weeks ago when investigators found a government website had been compromised. The man has been charged with two counts of unauthorised modification of data to cause impairment and one count of unauthorised access to a restricted computer system. He faces a maximum of 12 years in jail.'"
Re:Oh Really? (Score:0, Insightful)
Because age and clothing determine ability. SMH
Re:Oh Really? (Score:3, Insightful)
You are a complete moron who fails to understand human beings(here's a hint dumbshit, Europeans are even more formal than Americans). People judge eachother on age, fashion, and looks pretty much wherever there are people. But don't let the facts get in the way of your self-righteousness.
Re:Oh Really? (Score:5, Insightful)
Because age and clothing determine ability. SMH
Sometimes they are an indication of maturity.
Fixed that for you.
Quite a few people grow old without growing up.
The Wording of the police is interesting... (Score:5, Insightful)
... says the seriousness of the crime is not about the magnitude of damage done, but the breach of security.
Which is a nice way of saying "Well, they didn't really do anything that bad, but they made a lot of people look foolish, so they must be punished harshly...". I think these days we must remember that pulling down someone's trousers in public will make an enemy of that person - and their friends.
Rookie mistake (Score:5, Insightful)
Protip: never claim to be the leader of a decentralized vigilante organization.
Another uppity skilled laborer off the streets. (Score:5, Insightful)
That will teach 'em. It should put an end to these crimes against authority. I'm sure China and Iran and North Korea will now cower to such impressive spectacle. All anonymity has come to an end. Somehow, I don't feel any safer.
Translation (Score:1, Insightful)
"Flannery was charged with hacking offences, and is alleged to have defaced a government website this month. [but nobody noticed or cared enough, so you don't know which one] The AFP confirmed it was not a Federal Government website. [are the afraid we'll laugh if they mention the site?]"
"It is not about the magnitude of damage, its about the vulnerabilities that exist, [indeed vendors get away with faulty products full of security holes]" he said. "No one has tacit consent to acceas such information [Yet you already said it was a government website? A website surely has tacit consent to access the website or I'm in deep trouble, because I've been accessing information from millions of websites!]. We are not dealing with a small, petty crime here [defaced a website, so yes we are]. Such access has "huge ramifications for society," [OH THE HUMANITY! THE MONSTER!] .
"Commander Glen McEwan, manager of the AFP's Cyber Crime Operations, said he wanted to get the message out that it was not 'harmless fun' to attack government websites. [give me budget! I really really am useful! Honest I am]"
Re:Oh Really? (Score:4, Insightful)
When it comes to FUD and the Internet it only matters what material he could potentially have had access to, not what he actually had, or was supposed to have, access to. If Content Security handles any information anywhere that might be sensitive or politically embarrassing then the case will proceed on the assumption that Flannery had access to that information and used it. Flannery will, of course, have to spend serious dollars defending against these broad claims regardless of their veracity.
Is he Aaron Swartz? (Score:2, Insightful)
"did you miss the bit where he claims to be the leader of lulzsec?"
How can a leaderless group of anons have a leader? Or are they like Cylons? Only other Cylons know who is Cylon, but humans can't tell, so they walk among us, and are anonymous, yet somehow manage to agree among themselves who is leader and maintain a rank structure?! Perhaps there's an organizational rank chart that shows which Cylon reports to which Cylon??! A board of Cylons appointed to choose the CEO (Cylon executive officer)?
*OR* perhaps this is an idle childish impossible boast, seized upon by a officer trying to talk up a petty vandalism crime.
I reckon it's the Cylon one. We should prosecuting him for destroying Planet Capricorn!
" what's your point anyway? that people should be allowed to deface any website they like"
False dichotomy: either 12 years sentence for defacement or free as a bird to deface websites? Are they the only options? You really can't think of anything between the two?
" and/or access any system they like?"
Wait, did he access the public website or did he deface it? I can see you (and rozzer) are trying to conflate the two. I guess its because he wants to use a law designed to prevent spying or some such. Is that what that word game is about? Get your head straight, you are accusing him of what exactly? a) Every crime ever committed by anyone claiming to be lulzsec? b) Defacing a website or c) Accessing the [public] website in some bad way?
Look, he's not a super evil mastermind criminal like Aaron Swartz, this is just an officer, talking up a crime for the press release presumably for budgetary reasons.
But he's not prosecuting some mastermind criminal Aaron Swartz figure who threatened to destroy America civilsation as we know it, he's just a vandal.