LulzSec doffs its gray hat, your games are safe (for now)

by Jordan Mallory on Jun 26th 2011 12:09PM

Lulzsec, the anonymous anti-security task force responsible for hacking Sony Pictures, Nintendo, EVE Online, Minecraft, and The Escapist, announced today that its 50-day tour of internet pillaging has come to an end.

In a press release posted on The Pirate Bay, the team of six hackers used confusing metaphors about Hitler and cats (seriously) to justify their attacks, citing the "chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy" as their main motivation. While the group claims that they had always planned to call it quits after 50 days, we think this retreat has more to do with the British arrest of 19-year-old Ryan Cleary.

Lulzsec's six hackers hope that their "movement" can continue without them, writing, "Together, united, we can stomp down our common oppressors and imbue ourselves with the power and freedom we deserve." We don't know about you guys, but we can't remember ever feeling oppressed by Super Mario Bros. Peep the full press release after the jump.

Show full PR text

Friends around the globe,

We are Lulz Security, and this is our final release, as today marks something meaningful to us. 50 days ago, we set sail with our humble ship on an uneasy and brutal ocean: the Internet. The hate machine, the love machine, the machine powered by many machines. We are all part of it, helping it grow, and helping it grow on us.

For the past 50 days we've been disrupting and exposing corporations, governments, often the general population itself, and quite possibly everything in between, just because we could. All to selflessly entertain others - vanity, fame, recognition, all of these things are shadowed by our desire for that which we all love. The raw, uninterrupted, chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy. It's what we all crave, even the seemingly lifeless politicians and emotionless, middle-aged self-titled failures. You are not failures. You have not blown away. You can get what you want and you are worth having it, believe in yourself.

While we are responsible for everything that The Lulz Boat is, we are not tied to this identity permanently. Behind this jolly visage of rainbows and top hats, we are people. People with a preference for music, a preference for food; we have varying taste in clothes and television, we are just like you. Even Hitler and Osama Bin Laden had these unique variations and style, and isn't that interesting to know? The mediocre painter turned supervillain liked cats more than we did.

Again, behind the mask, behind the insanity and mayhem, we truly believe in the AntiSec movement. We believe in it so strongly that we brought it back, much to the dismay of those looking for more anarchic lulz. We hope, wish, even beg, that the movement manifests itself into a revolution that can continue on without us. The support we've gathered for it in such a short space of time is truly overwhelming, and not to mention humbling. Please don't stop. Together, united, we can stomp down our common oppressors and imbue ourselves with the power and freedom we deserve.

So with those last thoughts, it's time to say bon voyage. Our planned 50 day cruise has expired, and we must now sail into the distance, leaving behind - we hope - inspiration, fear, denial, happiness, approval, disapproval, mockery, embarrassment, thoughtfulness, jealousy, hate, even love. If anything, we hope we had a microscopic impact on someone, somewhere. Anywhere.

Thank you for sailing with us. The breeze is fresh and the sun is setting, so now we head for the horizon.

Let it flow...

Lulz Security - our crew of six wishes you a happy 2011, and a shout-out to all of our battlefleet members and supporters across the globe

Source: New York Times (1), (2)

Tags: eve-online, hacking, LulzSec, minecraft, nintendo, sony-pictures

Reader Comments (109)

I hope this is true so we can finally just go back to enjoying our games without being afraid all our info on that service will be released.

@Copybass Ah jeez zombies

Seriously, guys, you're showing some pretty ugly colours. You HATED Sony for getting hacked, but suddenly you cared when it was everyone else. It's still everyone's fault when they get hacked, because most of them left themselves open.

Do you know what SQL injection is? It's essentially asking a server for all its tables.

Then the server says "Oh, okay, here are all my tables. You want my users' info too? Cuz I can give you that just fine".

@Stilkdog
All they're doing is disbanding to join other hacking groups so that they can avoid being charged the last couple months worth of douchebaggery if they get caught hacking again. Hey remember how Anonymous said they would stop hacking and then these lulzpeckers started breaking things? I'm betting the same will happen here. And seriously how has freaking Minecraft ever oppressed anyone?

@Copybass Ah jeez zombies

Crime is borne out of insecurities caused by a number of factors, not because the victim of the crime deserved it. A lot of people were talking about how Sony didn't have the most up to date servers, but that was merely a rumor; one that was debunked. No amount of "upgrading their shit" will keep determined hackers from trying to make up for their severe insecurities.

Your logic is interestingly broken. What would happen if you applied it to other cases. Most people would bring up victims of the Holocaust or Rape, but let's take an example that's closer, home invasion. Is it the homeowner's fault for not having an impenetrable fortress if they get robbed? It's certainly possible to have a home that's near impenetrable, but the cost and inconvenience of such security would be beyond almost anyone's means. How far would you want to take this argument? Far enough and the government would have to pass a bill that everyone should have scanners on their door that requires oxidated blood from the head of the household to open. The security system would cost more than the contents of the home. Even then it's easy to imagine a way to procure that blood and keep it oxidated. I'm trying to make it as clear as I can why it's not the victim's fault that a crime was committed against them so you can understand why you're wrong to think that these hackers are somehow in the moral right.

These people aren't like Robin Hood who stole from the rich to give to the poor; they screwed over everyone for their own amusement believing that there are no consequences for their actions. There is a way to help companies understand that there are holes in their security, but that way is borne out of respect for the company and does not involve DDoS attacks. White Hats are people who communicate with the companies to tell them of their exploitable security holes but do not act on them "for teh lolz."

tl;dr version: Victims aren't to blame for the crime committed against them.

@Copybass Ah jeez zombies

If these companies aren't protecting against SQL Injection, they've, quite frankly, hired the most incompetent programmers ever.

Honestly, I find it hard to believe that everyone of these sites left themselves open to SQL injection, otherwise there's a bunch of web programmers that need to go back to school.

@Vladeon

Your post is somewhat naive. Failing to stop SQL injection attacks is simply bad web programming. That shouldn't happen to a corporation with the resources of Sony.

Also, your home invasion analogy is horribly flawed. We're not talkling about a single home owner, we're talking about a corporation entrusted with the data of millions of people. A better analogy would be a bank. Wouldn't you be a bit upset to find out after your valuable were stolen that your bank locked their vault and safety deposit boxes with zip ties? Sure, the theives deserve most of the blame, but these events have clearly highlighted that some companies have been negligent.

@Copybass Ah jeez zombies

"Seriously, guys, you're showing some pretty ugly colours. You HATED Sony for getting hacked"

alright i'll reason with you. i also think alot of people here deserved to get hacked. They did scrutinize Sony for getting hacked and the majority of the blame WAS because of the lack of security (also, the now disproven "they took a week")... turns out online security was easy to hack but this wasn't the way to go by it. They incorporated the right idea with the worst execution, like one straight from a angsty nirvana listening teen. The tables have turned, and an example will be set.

@Vladeon

One of the best posts I've read on here. Well said, sir/madam.

@Copybass Ah jeez zombies

Okay by your definition then if I upgrade to the latest security patches of all the major security products and I still get hacked, I assume that the person who is next liable is the company who provided the security software in the first place.

So it looks like we are going to have to sue Microsoft and the Apache Software Foundation then because newsflash buddy, nothing is 100% bulletproof.

Shit happens dude and it's people like you who think the answer to everything is to sue the pants off everyone. I wonder how any of the recent world disasters would have turned out if you had been in charge. I mean, instead of saving people and helping out a fellow person, you would be looking to where to lay the blame. I know people like you and let me tell you a little something, you bring nothing positive to our society.

Sometimes, doing the right thing is better than doing things right. I'll leave you to figure that one out.

@FreakSheet

Learn to read. They compared THEMSELVES to Hitler (and Osama Bin Laden). This is what THEY said:

"Behind this jolly visage of rainbows and top hats, we are people. People with a preference for music, a preference for food; we have varying taste in clothes and television, we are just like you. Even Hitler and Osama Bin Laden had these unique variations and style, and isn't that interesting to know? The mediocre painter turned supervillain liked cats more than we did."

@Vladeon
Victims, as in the people whose emails got leaked, aren't to blame. Are Sony and other companies to blame? Yes they are. Perfect security is not possible but this is far below the standards of 'less than perfect'. (Let's say a company stores your personal information in paper files. You'd expect them to keep those files in a safe or at least a locked office, not in a cardboard box on the lawn outside with a sign reading 'VALUABLE PERSONAL DATA PLEASE DO NOT STEAL'.)

That said I think a lot of people (victims and others) learned a lesson about using different passwords for different sites. Using the same password is a really bad idea - it's like if everywhere you do business with, you give them a copy of your house keys. Only takes one company to have a dishonest employee or (more likely) a crap security policy, and you're going to be at risk of burglary.

To put it another way: if you use a site where it really matters, like say PayPal, you can be fairly sure they pay serious attention to security. That's great but it's all wasted if you use the same password on some shitty internet gaming server. And to be honest, although you should have reasonable expectations of security from PayPal and even possibly from Sony, that certainly doesn't apply to random forums and stuff like that.

Does all that mean it was a 'good' thing to leak everybody's details, no it doesn't. It was certainly pretty funny, but that doesn't make it right. (For instance, they could have leaked the data but removed the passwords. Or emailed everyone on the list to give them two weeks' notice. That would've been pretty funny in itself.)

On the other hand... Sony and whatever aren't going to be the only sites on the internet that have bad security. There are surely other hackers that break into sites *without* telling the entire world, and sell on your paypal... That's likely to be even worse. If you changed all your passwords now, you're in a better position in future.

As for why they really quit: I'm not sure Ryan Cleary was part of the group - the authorities kind of stopped claiming that - but I think the 'too close to getting exposed' explanation sounds right. Seems to me like they left it way too long... I'll be surprised if they aren't caught.

@Vcize

Good to know I'm not the only one who thought that.

@FreakSheet Yeah, Sony was asking for it by having holes in their security. Just like that chick I raped last night was asking for it by dressing like a slut and being weaker. Oh wait, either way it's not justifiable.

If Sony's security was lacking, that doesn't give hackers the right to break in try to steal all their information. Sony may have made it easier and should catch some heat for it but by no means were they asking for it or was it a justifiable action by the hackers. Just because someone leaves the "bank" unlocked, doesn't make it any less illegal or morally wrong to walk in and take their money.

@Stilkdog

Not at all. Other people will still be able to hack them.

Bunch of pussies. Hack this.

@Unreal Armos After you said hack this you should have put a link to a westboro webpage or something.

@Unreal Armos

They never Hacked Activision. Bunch of punks I say! Ol' Booby Kotdick might've come down yelling at them with a baseball bat if they did.

@agneumeyer

WBC already got hacked by Anonymous (one of the upsides to the actions of Anonymous).

It's about time. but now, how long is it going to be until the next hacker group starts attacking?

@Captain Worcestershire
Hacker groups are always hacking. Most don't release data publicly, so you never know until someone steals your money or identity.

They must have ran out of Doritos.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
They only had enough mountain dew to last 50 days and 50 nights

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

That, and obviously their mothers kicked them out of the basement after 50 days of not bathing.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Their moms must have confiscated their chocolate milk supply.

Calling it now...caught before the end of July.

@ShadowXIII

Then they'd better get their game on fast so they don't head to the clink as virgins.

@ShadowXIII
highly possible.
http://lulzsecexposed.blogspot.com/

@The Aquacharger

Hey, wanna see something cool?

http://pastebin.com/iVujX4TR

Goodnight everybody!

If this was about Cleary, they probably would've stopped the day after his arrest.

@Kamizar
They obviously just don't want to admit they're scared. The fact they've stopped now is almost certainly because of his arrest and the fact he can most likely point the finger at the rest of the members too.

They're trying to quit while they're ahead, but hopefully won't get away with it.

Of course, this story makes it MUCH more interesting: http://www.neowin.net/news/the-real-reason-lulzsec-called-it-quits-they-were-exposed

Yeah, yeah. Sure they call it quits.

It totally had nothing to do with that Lulzsec member getting arrested, or TheJester going after their asses. Or this:

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/i9d06/no_longer_a_mystery_why_lulzsec_retired_huge/

The REAL reason is that they were starting to piss people off who actually COULD fight back to them, and they were dangerously close to having all THEIR information leaked by said people. They're just fleeing like a bunch of cowards once shit started hitting the fan. Nothing more, nothing less.

So they felt oppressed by Minecraft?

@ZachFACEyay They didn't have any agenda, they thought they did. They sort of forgot to have one, but referred to it.

@ZachFACEyay

Well minecraft is a big heartless corporation that only hurts people

And those poor pigs

@ZachFACEyay Minecraft oppresses me. I went on a random server, and I erected a giant penis by strip mining the world, and they asked me politely not to do that. I feel so hurt.

I read their message on their website. Why do hackers think they're cool when they do stuff like this? I'm gonna die out of laughter when police get thie hands on them, regardless of how hard it is.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha, freedom they "deserve"? They deserve to be in prison. With any luck, that's where they'll all end up.

@Roto13

oh the way things are looking they will, and already are... poor poor Ryan. Enjoy suprise buttseckz

Oh bullshit. It's jusf their way of saying:

"We got bored. You can play your games now BUT only because we allow you to."

Cocky bastards.

@Dhexodus

noooo.... its their way of saying:

"our people starting getting caught by IRL security, so we are abandoning ship"

Welcome to your new hell, Ryan Cleary. I hope prison eats your agoraphobic ass alive.

@Copybass Ah jeez zombies

You're kidding right? Lets play a game. You are blaming the victim. Let's look at your post again.
===
Yep. Hopefully now the people will realize that it's their own damn faults they got shot, and hopefully each and every one of them will be taken to court for criminal negligence.

And, after that, hopefully they wear a bulletproof vest so they don't allow this to happen anymore.
===
Stop blaming the victims.

Just goes to show that the hacker community is just as viable as a group of 7 year olds who break the family vase and they all blame each other unless the dog is in the room.

It's kids shit, it's hilarious. I hope these people can't sleep for days just expecting the men in uniforms to come by and take them away. They got their 15 minutes of... erm... 50 days of fame, now it's time to pay up.

Hacking Games = Governmental exposure?
lol

@arucious No. Hacking Senate and the CIA, on the other hand...

I don't condone hacking of any kind (quite the opposite, it's despicable), but at least Anonymous act like they have a purpose. Lulzsec went and hacked Minecraft, which is not only an excellent game but a sign of hope for indie developers around the world. Their interaction with the community has been nothing but positive, and they even opened up the game so modders could make crazy awesome stuff. What was the point? "Lulz"? I'm not laughing.

@Electrium
Some people don't have a reason, they just want the see the world burn.

Not funny to you and me, hilarious to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbwFXngs9Lw

Kinda reminds me of that scene

These hacker groups will one day realize they're making it worse for everyone when governments around the world start locking down and removing internet rights or something something something.......

I dunno

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LulzSec doffs its gray hat, your games are safe (for now)

Reader Comments (109)

Posted: Jun 26th 2011 12:13PM Stilkdog said

Posted: Jun 26th 2011 12:37PM Copybass Ah jeez zombies said

Posted: Jun 26th 2011 12:40PM PN04 said

Posted: Jun 26th 2011 1:07PM Vladeon said

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