LulzSec

LulzSec was a decentralized hacker collective active in 2011. It became known for high-profile cyberattacks and data leaks framed as stunts for notoriety and amusement.

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PBS website hack: A 2011 breach of PBS’s website that placed a fabricated story about the rapper Tupac Shakur online. The May 2011 intrusion announced LulzSec’s campaign and drew wide attention.
SQL injection: A code-injection attack that exploits unsafe handling of database queries to access or alter data. LulzSec used SQL injection in several attacks to extract data from vulnerable websites.
Hector Monsegur: A New York hacker known online as Sabu who co-founded LulzSec and later cooperated with the FBI. His cooperation helped investigators identify and prosecute other people connected to the collective.
Operation: Payback: A 2010 campaign of denial-of-service attacks by supporters of WikiLeaks and Anonymous. Its activist-hacker networks formed part of the milieu from which LulzSec emerged.
Sony Pictures Entertainment hack: A 2011 cyberattack that exposed personal information associated with users of Sony Pictures Entertainment websites. LulzSec claimed responsibility for the breach, which exposed data from more than one million accounts.
Distributed denial-of-service attack: An attack that overwhelms a service with traffic from many sources, making it unavailable to users. LulzSec used denial-of-service attacks when disruption itself, rather than data theft, was the objective.
Ryan Ackroyd: A British hacker known online as Kayla who participated in LulzSec attacks. Ackroyd was convicted in the United Kingdom for his role in the group’s operations.
FBI informant: A person who provides information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation about suspected criminal activity. Monsegur’s cooperation became central to the investigation that dismantled the group.
CIA website attack: A 2011 denial-of-service attack that temporarily made the CIA’s public website unavailable. The June attack demonstrated LulzSec’s preference for visible disruption over quiet intrusion.
Data breach: An incident in which information is accessed, disclosed, altered, or stolen without authorization. Many LulzSec operations culminated in stolen information being released publicly.