Self-Proclaimed LulzSec Leader Arrested In Australia

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.'"

Comments

Oh Really?

[Frosty Piss]

At 24, he's a "senior Australian IT professional" for an "international IT company"? Well, there's your problem right there. Skinny jeans and a hoodie? Check! Who hired this guy?

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because age and clothing determine ability. SMH

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dancing With The Stars is on, dood. No one cares what you think.

Re:Oh Really?

[Frosty Piss]

Because age and clothing determine ability. SMH

Quite often they are an indication of maturity.

Re:Oh Really?

[antifoidulus]

Only Americans would hire people based on age, fashion, looks, basically anything but real skill. I'm glad I don't live in that hell-hole.

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?

[mjwx]

At 24, he's a "senior Australian IT professional" for an "international IT company"? Well, there's your problem right there. Skinny jeans and a hoodie? Check! Who hired this guy?

You must be unfamiliar with how consultancies work.

Everyone, even the tea lady is a senior. I have seen "Senior Trainee" before, I kid you not.

Re:Oh Really?

[mjwx]

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.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Usually they're just a measure of sucking up to the boss, and that's all that counts.

Re:Oh Really?

[SpazmodeusG]

What the AFP claims is a total lie.

"He was a low-level support tech who was on a three-month probation,” Wurth said. “He had no access to any type of customer data apart from support tickets"

So essentially a script kidding working a low level tech support job. Not exactly a criminal mastermind.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

slashdot editors dont rtfa anymore. neither do i much anymore, especially now. thanks.

Re:Oh Really?

[bloodhawk]

From what I read he is senior in the same way a building toilet cleaner could be classed as a senior building engineer. The guy was a junior support tech on probation.

Re: Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Due to lack of formal titles in IT you see some weird shit. We have a Help Desk CIO.

Re:Oh Really?

[GumphMaster]

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.

Re:Oh Really?

[MadKeithV]

European, skinny jeans, hoodie, senior development professional for an international company, and I'm by no means an exception here. But don't let the facts get in the way of YOUR self-righteousness.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why are you assuming Frosty Piss is American? Are you implying his attitude exists nowhere else? Because I hate to break it to you...

Re:Oh Really?

[phantomfive]

What kind of shoes do you wear?

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

actually age definitly has some bearing. Senior professional usually implies a wealth of experience in the chosen profession (IT is no exception), he could be exceptionally skilled but he is unlikely to have the wealth of experience. regardless the article was dead wrong, this guy was a low level tech support jockey on probation, As such he certainly wasn't a senior professional and is more likely in the script kiddie category for his skills.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

(here's a hint dumbshit, Europeans are even more formal than Americans)

Obviously, you've never been to Europe.

(Protip: Don't confuse "the UK" with "Europe". Also, don't confuse "having manners and being respectful" with "being formal".)

Re:Oh Really?

[jatoo]

Quite a few people grow old without growing up.

You mean, they stay immature?

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Skills and experience are not the same thing, You can have awesome skills, but at a young age you are unlikely to have the depth and experience to be a senior professional, though I have dealt with quite a few firms in the last few years that have started to label people as senior IT consultants/professionals etc that are barely out of Uni and don't know shit about IT in the real world. We recently kicked one company off the premises for pulling that shit recently, and it is all because they can charge a higher rate for Senior staff.

Re:Oh Really?

[MadKeithV]

What kind of shoes do you wear?

Dynamically typed ones.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

You are a complete moron who fails to understand human beings(here's a hint dumbshit, Europeans are all alike and are even more formal than Americans who are also all alike). 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?

[rtb61]

What is it with computer crime that gets any police force involved to wildly exaggerate everything to do with it. From the skills of the accused, the claimed crimes committed, the damage caused, the global impact or the justification for promotions. The bullshit desire for massive headlines only to have it all deflate as the internet picks over the story as the slowly collapsing prosecution proceeds to a rather minor event.

It seems driven by two things a desire for promotion and a need to flood the airwaves with propaganda in order to protect their case based on really rather weak and often only circumstantial evidence. Hype seemingly used to drive the individual into becoming an informant, a means by which to entrap minors into minor computer crimes.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a software engineer and I went into work in a shirt and tie for two years. Same job I now dress down to tshirt and jeans bar client meetings.

It's comfort over maturity.

Re:Oh Really?

[dbIII]

But I thought they'd been watching Mr Anderson for some time?

Re:Oh Really?

[PRMan]

Or it could just be because they are dumb and don't understand the magic computer-box thingy...

Re:Oh Really?

[lxs]

It isn't a question of formality, it's a question of style.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're also probably a 20-something brat yourself.

Re:Oh Really?

[mister2au]

In senior IT roles, yes !

Age may not determine ability in technical roles ie code monkeys but experience sure as hell matters in senior roles.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I used to work for a public sector body who gave their first line support peons (wheter outsorced or insourced) domain admin accounts. They 'required' this in order to fix issues remotely, but the higher-ups didn't understand the full extent of the access they had, and the lower-downs I guess didn't feel the need to restrict their access by telling them. The security guys were pointless.

We were going through a restructure, and I knew a bit about the document management system because I had to fix issues with it. I knew that all the files in that 'secure', 'auditable' database-driven software were held on a windows server in a windows file system which was shared, and you could access ALL CONTENT if you logged on to that server with your admin account and browsed the files. The files were gobbledigook names, but every file was stored in a directory named after the username of the uploader. So simply, we were able to browse the top level director who we knew was working on the restructure, find the latest edited versions of say, an excel spreadsheet and a visio diagram, and check out the future proposed org chart in draft. There was no audit on this. I felt ill with guilt the whole time I did it, but I wanted to know, damnit, and they were treating us like shit. So I stole the data, and was able to prepare my response once they finally announced the random manager they were planning to assign me and that salary and grade they were putting me at (oh and all my colleagues, too).

It is just an example of how clueless people are - even the trained 'security' guys and 'administrators' of software that these people deploy. Often the underlying way these crappy tools work is... crappy. Anyone with half a brain could have done this, and I managed it with only a quarter of one ;-) I feel bad that I didn't tell them before I jumped ship. I could access the CEOs docs if I wanted to. I didn't, because the whole thing made me scared shitless!

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

SMH? Are you a black Twitter user? Find your way back there good negro sir.

Re:Oh Really?

[Dogtanian]

What is it with computer crime that gets any police force involved to wildly exaggerate everything to do with it. From the skills of the accused, the claimed crimes committed, the damage caused, the global impact or the justification for promotions. The bullshit desire for massive headlines only to have it all deflate as the internet picks over the story as the slowly collapsing prosecution proceeds to a rather minor event.

Because this is a standard example of geeks forgetting that they're not typical. A proportionately small number of geeks watch the story "all deflate as the internet picks over the story as the slowly collapsing prosecution proceeds to a rather minor event".

The great unwashed masses just saw (and remember) the initial headlines, and have moved on to the next oversold story, rather than following the increasingly mundane details of the true story behind the original headlines. After all, "previously hyped computer crime turns out to be mundane" isn't as good a headline as the next exaggerated crime.

Re: Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously, you've never been to Florida. You're lucky if employees show up wearing clothes.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny thing I've found - I occasionally have reason to wear a suit. I've noticed people treat me far differently than when I'm jeans and a t-shirt. I'm deferred to in essence. Even cops - they see a suit and their demeanor changes. It's too funny. !

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Germans will still throw away your CV if there isn't a picture or they don't like it.

Re:Oh Really?

[jgtg32a]

Is that not the definition of immature?

Re:Oh Really?

[tehcyder]

Quite a few people grow old without growing up.

But very few grow up before they are 25.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Funnily enough, there doesn't seem to be any objective way of determining whether or not someone is 'mature.' Some people believe that those who find certain types of jokes funny are immature; that those who wear certain types of clothes are immature; that those who listen to certain music are immature; and, more generally, that those who do, say, or enjoy things that the offended party does not like are immature.

It seems pathetic, really.

Re:Oh Really?

[__aaltlg1547]

No, if they said "senior" without being told he was senior that's a lie, not exaggeration or assumption.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

actually age definitly has some bearing.

Regardless, the best way to find out if someone is skilled and experienced seems to be... to test their abilities. The answer isn't to resort to ageism.

Re:Oh Really?

[cheekyjohnson]

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.

I'm not really sure what he was talking about. From my perspective, most people are shallow and idiotic no matter where you are.

Re:Oh Really?

[Hatta]

Judging people based on their appearance is an indication of immaturity.

Re:Oh Really?

[poity]

Going even more off-topic: I don't see how skinny jeans are comfortable at all (unless one has some sort of compression fetish I guess). So you follow the fashion dictates of pop culture, while someone else follows the fashion dictates of business culture. What's there to really argue over among the two when we, whether we admit it or not, sacrifice comfort to look presentable and acceptable to some niche group of people? I mean, if we truly value comfort above the opinions of others, I think we'd all be in sarongs/skirts.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

lulzsec lulz lul lullen Dutch word meaning means dick prick knob pecker

pricks they are

Re:Oh Really?

[smooth wombat]

The answer isn't to resort to ageism.

Why not? That seems to be the modus operandi of the IT world and the business world in general where if you're above 35 you're not even considered for a position no matter how many years of experience you have.

The only exception to this rule seems to be those at the top where no matter how many times they've failed leading a company, no matter how many billions of dollars they lose, no matter how much they depress their company stock price, they'll be hired for their "experience".

Re:Oh Really?

[HaZardman27]

And only an American

Throwing more blanket statements around as a response just puts you in the same boat as him.

be racist against Europeans

A white American and a white European are of the same race...

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's like racial profiling. It may not be politically correct, but it often works...

Re:Oh Really?

[BrokenHalo]

Germans will still throw away your CV if there isn't a picture or they don't like it.

My last employers (in South Australia, where even the fucking kangaroos wear lederhosen) didn't, and they were as German as they come. I wish they had thrown away my CV, though. It would have saved me a lot of grief.

Re:Oh Really?

[Zero__Kelvin]

The real problem is probably that you believe everything you read. Somebody probably told the reporter that he got into trouble hacking XP Professional at his high school when he was a senior, then the reporter writes "senior", "IT", "XP", and "Professional" in his notes and before you know it he's a "senior IT Professional". If you read the first article and follow the denial link, his company makes clear that He was a low-level support tech who was on a three-month probation,” Wurth said. “He had no access to any type of customer data apart from support tickets. That will be cleared up with the AFP. This is just some unimportant kid trying to sound important, and reporters willing to roll with it to sell papers coupled with a gubber'mnt mule who sees an opportunity to "get a big fish".

Re:Oh Really?

[BrokenHalo]

What is it with computer crime that gets any police force involved to wildly exaggerate everything to do with it.

Indeed. This guy's (alleged) crime was simply defacing a Government website. Now I'm not saying that's a good thing - for a group calling itself lulzsec, this is so profoundly and tiresomely unfunny, it's not funny. But it certainly is not on the scale of unpleasantness of some of the other so-called hacktivist groups that think it's cool to publish peoples' credit card details.

Probably the worst part of it all is that the taxpayer will have to cough up to support his tenure in some "correctional" institution, whereas some form of useful slave labour in community service might at least do somebody enough good to justify this adolescent's pathetic little life.

Re:Oh Really?

[KingMotley]

That seems to be the modus operandi of the IT world and the business world in general where if you're above 35 you're not even considered for a position no matter how many years of experience you have.

Really? I would say it's more if you are above 35, and yet your skill level is still terrible, then you're not considered for a position, no matter how many years you've been filling an empty chair.

Re:Oh Really?

[KingMotley]

Only a European thinks that "European" is a race.

Re:Oh Really?

[Hatta]

I guess you're right. If you're wearing a suit, you're probably a complete tool.

Re:Oh Really?

[phantomfive]

The best kind.

Re:Oh Really?

[rtb61]

Even then simple rules of personal security that should be followed. To conduct activity, boot from a USB thumb drive with different IP and mac address set and completely different identity, when not conducting activities thumb drive should be safely hidden. Main computer should contain dysfunctional root hack that points back to thumb drive identity (for when you're lazy and get caught). Preferably only ever use open wifi points, rather than home connection. There are a whole bunch of activities that a real skilled cracker would undertake and require a significant and long term investigation to break most likely requiring a femme fatale (any moderately attractive female who knows what FOSS stands for and what Linux is could get the typical hacker falling over themselves to brag/confess about everything they are up to). No signs of these pretty much indicate a low skilled attention seeker.

Re:Oh Really?

[cffrost]

Probably the worst part of it all is that the taxpayer will have to cough up to support his tenure in some "correctional" institution, whereas some form of useful slave labour in community service might at least do somebody enough good to justify this adolescent's pathetic little life.

Yeah right, that's the worst part. Nobody ever thinks about the things North Korea gets right. Scandinavian countries could do this are get a handle on their out-of-control crime and recidivism rates.

Re:Oh Really?

[lgw]

The upper limit on someone's experience is the number of years they've worked. Of course, some people have 20 years of experience, and some have 1 year of experience 20 times, but it's a safe bet you don't have either in your 20s.

Re:Oh Really?

[Darinbob]

I agree that most Americans don't hire based on age/fashion/looks, however they will decline to hire based on those things. That is, those things are much more likely to influence the decision negatively than positively. If a candidate comes in looking like a slacker the odds are the person will be downgraded, no matter how loudly people online will whine about judging on abilities Most jobs require team work, meeting with other employees or customers, etc, very few jobs let you sit alone in a darkened room without human interaction.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

No because wearing respectful apparel is just that, respectful. Lack of care in one's self is an indicator to "mature" individuals that you are incapable of lifting your own weight (which is becoming more and more of a problem in today's society).

(I'm a business owner / operator and tried both methods for many years, suit and tie lands deals, shirt and tie lands you a smile and a closed door)

Next people will tell me not bathing is okay because stewing in your own filth is comfortable so why not do it in public.

Re:Oh Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a software engineer and I went into work in a shirt and tie for two years. Same job I now dress down to tshirt and jeans bar client meetings.

Hence the reason you're still in the same job....

Anonymous will hold a protest...

[Guppy06]

... in Vienna.

Re:Anonymous will hold a protest...

[Fluffeh]

Well, clearly Australia isn't safe to do it in! They would get nabbed here.... unless they did it anonymously... no wait... too soon?

Re:Anonymous will hold a protest...

[cas2000]

only the american members of anonymous will hold their protest in vienna.

those from the rest of the world have at least a basic knowledge of geography.

Re:Anonymous will hold a protest...

[dbIII]

Funny thing is there is a big red post box at shopping centre near me where somebody has peeled off a few letters to turn "Australia Post" into "Austria Post".

Why'd he do it?

[OhANameWhatName]

If he was working in Australian IT, especially for the government, he was probably so bored to death by his job that he needed an outlet.

These poor IT 'professionals' should be nurtured, not punished. Have sympathy for their pain. Finding bugs in 10 year old spaghetti code will do anybody's head in.

Re:Why'd he do it?

[Fluffeh]

Finding bugs in 10 year old spaghetti code will do anybody's head in.

As will finding bugs ten years ago and finding them still not fixed... That's closer to how I feel with these sort of things....

Re:Why'd he do it?

[Anonymous Coward]

LinkedIn says he worked for Tenable Network Security ( http://www.tenable.com ), so he wasn't working for government

Re: Why'd he do it?

[Anonymous Coward]

He obviously took the blue pill

Re:Why'd he do it?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seems even that was an exaggerated claim. He worked for a small Australian company to whom Tenable had outsourced some basic support services.
He didn't actually work for Tenable directly.

Great Barrier Reef

[Anonymous Coward]

Drop him off there. Let the sharks have at him and we'll see if he Lulz then.

Re:Great Barrier Reef

[TapeCutter]

The only "white pointers" you will find on the reef belong to topless bathers. The 2 ton man eating fish lives down south.

Re:Great Barrier Reef

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, though they can be found north on occasion. Regardless up north you'd be more worried about the jellyfish.

solution.

[Anonymous Coward]

If governments didn't exist this wouldn't be a problem.

Re:solution.

[Anonymous Coward]

Failed troll. Real neo-nazis would deny that there was a first. Do some research next time.

Re: solution.

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, I don't know about that. You just need the right man for the job.

Re:solution.

[tehcyder]

If libertarians didn't exist, the IQ level of the internet would rise to almost 100.

Re:solution.

[cffrost]

If libertarians didn't exist, the IQ level of the internet would rise to almost 100.

Leave it to an authoritarian to tell us that authoritarians know best. Fortunately, you're not in charge of determining who's allowed to exist or use the Internet.

To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it[.]

For example, exercising the right to vote for a libertarian/non-authoritarian candidate is "voting wrong?"

I suppose I could come to agree with your wisdom, once your junta puts a gun to my head and tells me that I "agree."

The Wording of the police is interesting...

[Fluffeh]

... 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.

Re:The Wording of the police is interesting...

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand why hackers are so stupid. With all those brains they should be cooking up financial schemes, where the returns and notoriety are much greater, and the risks negligible. They won't even go out of their way to pretend you've committed future crimes.. hell, you won't even go to jail for your current crimes.

Re:The Wording of the police is interesting...

[Darinbob]

In the same way that psychics should be off winning the lottery and preventing terror attacks.

In other words, they're fakes. The "hackers" here do not have the brains that the average public thinks, they're usually following scripts, reading about how someone else did an attack, and doing simple intrusion. This was LulzSec, not BrainTrust, they're doing it for the lulz.

This is not the time you want to claim credit

[ub3r n3u7r4l1st]

For most governments worldwide, especially all English-speaking countries who uses the common law, LulzSec , Anonymous etc. are treated like the al-Qaeda of the Internet. You proclaim to have association with them (or even claiming to be "leadership") , then expect government agents on your door soon.

Re:This is not the time you want to claim credit

[Anonymous Coward]

For most governments worldwide, especially all English-speaking countries who uses the common law...

Australia does not use the common law.

Rookie mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

Protip: never claim to be the leader of a decentralized vigilante organization.

Re:Rookie mistake

[GameboyRMH]

LulzSec never claimed to be decentralized. They were a private group that split off from Anonymous, to perform operations that required secrecy.

Re:Rookie mistake

[BrokenHalo]

Nor are they vigilantes. That implies a supposition (however misguided) that there is some degree of justice involved. Whereas in reality, these creeps are just adolescent hooligans.

Re:Rookie mistake

[Anonymous Coward]

Nor are they vigilantes. That implies a supposition (however misguided) that there is some degree of justice involved. Whereas in reality, these creeps are just adolescent hooligans.

24 is adolescent? "First they mock you..."

inb4 "hurrr hurrr bozo the clown derp"

Re:Rookie mistake

[Kingrames]

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1790899723/681612454?token=225b918b

Another uppity skilled laborer off the streets.

[Bob_Who]

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.

Re:Another uppity skilled laborer off the streets.

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason you don't feel safer is because you are a fucking asshole who counts on anonymity to commit crimes. I hope they through the book at him and give him maximum penalties with consecutive sentences.

Re:Another uppity skilled laborer off the streets.

[Anonymous Coward]

I, Anonymous Coward, agree with Anonymous Coward in his apparent disgust with anonymity.

Translation

[Anonymous Coward]

"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:Translation

[uncqual]

[...] 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!

If a local mom-and-pop store lets you enter their premises to shop, do you think that also gives you the right to overturn the shelves and spray paint graffiti on the walls? After all, a mom-and-pop store isn't very significant in any (even tiny) country with a GDP over a billion USD and low wage employees can reverse the damage for only a few thousand dollars (less than will be spent to fix and harden a web site) so it's a minor crime. Really not a problem -- nothing a society would want to discourage (presumably even if every store suffered such an assault every couple hours -- after all, each individual one is minor). Right?

Re:Translation

[GumphMaster]

[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?]

Somebody mentioned it because the ABC is reporting:

The LulzSec group allegedly broke into Australian Government departments, universities and schools in 2011. Some of the targets included AusAid, Victorian Government departments and local councils in Victoria and New South Wales.

Re:Translation

[Anonymous Coward]

did you miss the bit where he claims to be the leader of lulzsec? what's your point anyway? that people should be allowed to deface any website they like and/or access any system they like?

Is he ... almost famous?

[DavidClarkeHR]

Seriously. I can picture this guy yelling I AM SPARTICUS from his jail cell.
Okay, maybe not yelling. Crying?

In any event, he's temporarily famous.

Re:Is he ... almost famous?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. I can picture this guy yelling I AM SPARTICUS from his jail cell. Okay, maybe not yelling. Crying? In any event, he's temporarily famous.

I AM SPARTACUS...hold on you want to put your what in my what? Well, as an IT professional I always wondered how I'd lose my virginity.

great news

[Anonymous Coward]

feckless hackers........

Is that what 'accessing' is in Australia?

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps it means something different in Australia? But 'accessing' information on a web-server, a computer designed to publish or 'serve' information onto the 'web' (hence the name), is surely a given? He's accused of defacing it, but it sounds like the rozzer is trying for "broke in and got some super secret data" type law by mis-presenting his alleged actions.

"overturn the shelves and spray paint graffiti on the walls"
i.e. vandalism, yep, that's what I think he did too.

"country with a GDP over a billion USD and low wage employees [blah blah blah]..."
Nobody saw it or cared enough to even report the vandalism to the press, so the press don't know which website was defaced. The only person who seems to care is the man paid to deal with this, who seems to be trying to talk it up. It's petty, it's magistrates stuff for vandal, and bollocking for the website admin who didn't keep his patches up to date.

Is this a crime to be investigated and prosecuted? Or a PR opportunity for McEwan, because it looks like the latter to me. He's clearly talking it up, as if its a threat to society, which it isn't.

Re:Is that what 'accessing' is in Australia?

[Anonymous Coward]

Talk it up, go for the maximum sentence buy don't bluff too far or the perp (yes, I'm too lazy to scroll back to check the guy's name :o) may commit suicide and then your career won't get the boost you'd hoped for.

Re: Is that what 'accessing' is in Australia?

[Anonymous Coward]

+1 coward (hi btw)

So what website did he allegedly hit, surely we can figure it out? Doubt it was the stuff in 2011 cause they alledge he could have gotten access credentials via his employer and they say he's a recent recruit. Plus, why now? If they had info saying it was him then why wait 2 years to go knocking?

-teapot

Self-proclaimed?

[mvar]

So how does his CV look like?
Hobbies:
- Fishing, basketball, hacking
Memberships:
- Leader of the LulzSec group

Re:Self-proclaimed?

[GameboyRMH]

There are only two jobs where having been in prison for a crime can look good on your CV, gangster rapper and information security consultant.

Re:Self-proclaimed?

[Anonymous Coward]

In this case, it's more help desk than information security consultant.

Mr Flannery was employed by Content Security to undertake low level support on a help-desk for a US company. We did thorough background checks during his employment, as we do for all our prospective employees. The US company then came out and gave him and the rest of the help-desk team training. Up until yesterday he was still on probation.

[from an e-mail sent to Content Security customers today]

Re:Self-proclaimed?

[doesnothingwell]

There are old hackers and bold hackers...

Re:Self-proclaimed?

[cffrost]

There are only two jobs where having been in prison for a crime can look good on your CV, gangster rapper and information security consultant.

Three — confidential informant.

Is he Aaron Swartz?

[Anonymous Coward]

"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.

I am Spartacus!

[PPH]

n/a

This bloke is an idiot.

[Anonymous Coward]

He appears to have used client information to 'hack' (as in 'shooting fish in a barrell') a government website. He deserves gaol time as a punishment for stupidity.

Covering his tracks

[Martin S.]

Some elite hacker, He doesn't seem to have made any effort to cover his tracks. His hacker 'handle' is easily found links directly achievements on encyclopediadramatica and his twitter account which leads to his real name, which links to both facebook and linkedin profiles amongst many other sites, with photos and lots of personal data.

Re:Covering his tracks

[Anonymous Coward]

Some elite hacker, He doesn't seem to have made any effort to cover his tracks. His hacker 'handle' is easily found links directly achievements on encyclopediadramatica and his twitter account which leads to his real name, which links to both facebook and linkedin profiles amongst many other sites, with photos and lots of personal data.

Man, that's some confidence right there! I want to hire him to do something in my company! I haven't decided what yet, but he's clearly enough of an arrogant asshole that I for some reason want to throw bucketloads of money at him!

Re:The Apple Has Fallen

[GameboyRMH]

You call that a disaster? If this continues I'll start the yub-yub dance!

LulzSec group?

[Anonymous Coward]

"The LulzSec group allegedly broke into Australian Government departments"

Did *he* break into Australian Government depts? Or did he simply say "I'm the leader of Lulzsec" (which would be impossible) and some rozzers went through any crime claimed by anyone pretending to be Lulzsec and pins those on him?

How is it hacking?

[Anonymous Coward]

How is it hacking when "he was in a position of trust" and "had access to government information". Surely if you have the bloody passwords for their servers it's not exactly "hacking" to use them to deface a website. Although it is damn stupid, he's just ruined his I.T. career - no one will hire him after this.

A meme can't have a leader

[Anonymous Coward]

Seems he didn't hit *any*

As far as digging through the hyperbole, it appear he simply pretended to be leader of lulzsec, and so they arrested him for any hacking done by anyone claiming to be a member of lulzsec.

So hackers use lulzsec as a meme, and he's the leader of a meme.

Silly.

first rule of fight club

[Anonymous Coward]

you do not talk about the fight club ...

whoops

No...I am the leader of LulzSec :p

[PuZZleDucK]

No...I am the leader of LulzSec :p

Encyclopedia Dramatica as nice profile on him.

[Anonymous Coward]

https://encyclopediadramatica.se/Aush0k