http://www.gsnmagazine.com/node/25779?c=cyber_security

Quote Originally Posted by GSN
Federal authorities said a hacker tied to the infamous Anonymous cyber group has helped them to strike a major blow against the organization that has claimed responsibility for electronic attacks against major corporations, law enforcement and other organizations.

Five members of the loose cyber activist group LulzSec have been charged in a worldwide conspiracy ring after a government informant tipped law enforcement off to how the groups operate.

The FBI said on March 6 that five computer hackers in the U.S. and the U.K. were charged, and a sixth pled guilty, for computer hacking and other crimes. It said the six hackers identified themselves as aligned with the group Anonymous, a loose confederation of computer hackers and others, and/or offshoot groups related to Anonymous, including “Internet Feds,” “LulzSec,” and “AntiSec.”

Ryan Ackroyd, Jake Davis, Darren Martyn, and Donncha O’Cearrbhail identified themselves as members of Anonymous, Internet Feds, and/or LulzSec, said the FBI and were charged in an indictment unsealed on March 6 in Manhattan federal court. They’re charged in a computer hacking conspiracy involving hacks of Fox Broadcasting Company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and the Public Broadcasting Service (“PBS”). O’Cearrbhail is also charged in a separate charge with intentionally disclosing an unlawfully intercepted wire communication.

Ackroyd, 23, of Doncaster, United Kingdom; Davis, 29, of Lerwick, Shetland Islands, United Kingdom; and Martyn, 25, of Galway, Ireland, each are charged with two counts of computer hacking conspiracy. Each conspiracy count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, said the FBI.

O’Cearbhail, 19, of Birr, Ireland, is charged in the indictment with one count of computer hacking conspiracy, for which he faces 10 years in prison.

On March 5, Jeremy Hammond, who identified himself as a member of AntiSec, was arrested in Chicago and charged with hacking Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (“Stratfor) electronic assets. He faces 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts against him. The company is a global intelligence firm based in Austin, TX. Federal authorities said the hack may have affected as many as 860,000 victims.

All of the charges apparently stem from a information obtained by Hector Xavier Monsegur, who is also known as “Sabu.” According to an affidavit by Assistant US Attorney Stephanie Christensen , Monsegur worked for the FBI for eight months after he was arrested last June.

On March 6, Monsegur’s plea was unsealed. The 28-year-old New York City resident pleaded guilty to three counts of computer hacking conspiracy, five counts of computer hacking, one count of computer hacking in furtherance of fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. He faces a maximum sentence of 124 years and six months in prison.
The following video pretty much paraphrases everything above:



While in the eyes of some, this is definitely a triumph for the FBI, I don't think they've won the war. Some of what Anonymous does I have to kind of agree with--their organization of protests with good intentions like the Occupy movement, going after sites which supported SOPA and PIPA, etc. though I know their tactics in some of those web-based attacks were in violation of the law. The fact about Anonymous is that it's hard to get an overall opinion on it because of how loose of an organization it is and how many people have participated in web raids and such. I'd like to think that they generally stand for the greater good and the 99 percent opposing the white collar 99 percent, I think they generally stand against oppressive government actions, but every once in awhile some Anonymous members will be flagged as having been involved with extortion and other not so savory things. I like to think that for the most part, they are the people working for the people. But again, an objective opinion on such things can be difficult to form.