Lulzsec Rejoins Anonymous

The Lulzsec hacking group hasn’t disappeared after all, but has apparently re-merged with Anonymous, the group perhaps best known for its attacks on companies such as MasterCard and Visa.

That, at least, is the story told on message feeds controlled by Anonymous. “Lulzsec was born from Anonymous and now has returned,” said a post on the AnonymousIRC Twitter feed. AnonymousIRC claims to be maintained by “an observer who reports current events”.

Activities to continue

The Lulzsec hackers will continue their exploits using the #AntiSec label on Twitter, according to AnonymousIRC.

Lulzsec came to an end mainly as a public relations move, according to AnonymousIRC.

“All LulzSec members are accounted for, nobody is hiding. Only a name was abandoned for the greater glory,” said a message on AnonymousIRC. “We’ve been around for a while and don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. In the name of #AntiSec we will continue to sail strong.”

Lulzsec’s targets included the CIA, the Senate and Sony. Among its other exploits was the release of around 62,000 passwords belonging to individual users.

AnonymousIRC’s messages were posted partly in response to various reports on why Lulzsec had disbanded and who the group really were. The Guardian, for instance, wrote that Lulzsec was obliged to disband because it was a small group and therefore “its targets and skills were naturally limited”.

Unreleased data

Lulzsec may have disbanded in name, but the group’s six members still have about 5 GB of stolen files from law enforcement agencies that they will begin releasing shortly, AnonymousIRC, said, confirming reports from outlets such as The Washington Post.

“What governments and media will realise soon: The LulzBoat anchoring is not the end. It is the beginning,” the group tweeted.

Anonymous’ attack on the Tunisian government’s official website on Monday, in which it replaced the site with its own text and images, and the release of data from the Zimbabwean government were carried out “in the name of #AntiSec”, according to AnonymousIRC.

In other words, the attacks were a continuation of Lulzsec’s activities, AnonymousIRC said.

Last week police arrested 19-year-old Ryan Cleary on suspicion of acting as part of the Lulzsec group. Cleary, who was detained in a joint operation by the FBI and Scotland Yard, has now been granted bail on condition that he wear a tag and observe a curfew.

Cleary, who has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome since his arrest, was granted bail on condition that he remains in his home between 9pm and 7am, wears an electronic tag, and only leaves the home in the company of one of his parents.