FBI Indicts Alleged LulzSec Hacker for Attack on Sony Network

Another reputed member of the LulzSec hacking crew has been charged with a 2011 attack on the computer network of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Raynaldo Rivera of Tempe, Arizona, was arrested by FBI agents on Aug. 28. Rivera had been indicted Aug. 22 by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on charges of conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer.

According to authorities, Sony’s computer systems were compromised from roughly May 27, 2011, to June 2, 2011, by a team of hackers known as LulzSec, shorthand for Lulz Security. Last summer, the group was linked to high-profile attacks against a number of sites and organizations, including the Fox Broadcasting Company.

The indictment alleges that Rivera, along with his co-conspirators, exploited a SQL injection vulnerability in the Sony Website to obtain confidential information, authorities said. After successfully launching the attack, LulzSec members posted the data on their website and announced the attack via the group’s Twitter account.

Authorities have said the attack on Sony cost the company more than $600,000.

One of the conspirators Rivera is accused of working with is Cody Kretsinger, who was arrested last year and pleaded guilty to hacking charges in April. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

The investigation into LulzSec has yielded several other arrests as well. In March, charges were filed against six reputed members, including the group’s alleged lead hacker, Hector Xavier Monsegur, also known as Sabu.

In a surprising turn of events, Sabu was revealed to be a cooperating informant for the FBI. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice requested a six-month adjournment of the case against Sabu, who was scheduled to be sentenced last week and is facing a maximum sentence of 124 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges in 2011.

If convicted, Rivera faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

To read the original eWeek article, click here: Accused LulzSec Hacker Indicted for Attack on Sony Network