The Rapid Rise and Fall of LulzSec

This is more of a prediction than a statement of fact but I feel pretty confident in saying that LulzSec won't be around for much longer. Anonymous may still avoid LulzSec's fate depending on whether they decide to abandon the AntiSec movement and stay focused on battling repressive regimes like they did with Tunisia, but they only have a small window of time to make that decision.

The reason why I'm making this prediction is because of today's New York Times article on the take-down of by the FBI. That's bad enough but it's not why LulzSec is screwed. They're screwed because the U.S. Intelligence Community has learned how to collaborate. It's taken them years but the historical animosity between CIA, FBI, and NSA has just recently diminished to the point where they are now able to work together better than ever before. And lucky LulzSec, they're all focused on you right now.

Now you might not be too worried about the FBI considering the state of their InfraGuard sites in Atlanta and Connecticut, and you might even be naive enough to believe that crashing the CIA's public website means you have nothing to fear from them either. Frankly speaking, if that's true - you couldn't be more wrong. Unlike the FBI and your local police, CIA isn't constrained by the same rules. It has resources that other agencies salivate after, including its own Army, Navy, and Air Force. It's people love what they do so much that even after they retire they stay in the game. And while Anonymous likes to say that they never forget, the Agency has a well-deserved reputation of getting even with anyone who fucks with them. You, apparently, have made that very unfortunate list. If you guys make it to Labor Day without either getting arrested, disappearing, or self-destructing, I'll be very surprised. Either way, you'll be featured in the new edition of my book for sure.

UPDATE: (25 Jun 2011) LulzSec announces it has ended operations via a post at Pastebin:

  1. Friends around the globe,
  8. Let it flow...


  1. Sorry, but this is complete rubbish. Your whole argument boils down to
    "you fucked over the CIA buddy, therefore they'll hunt you down."

    A more likely scenario is that they will get caught because of their big mouths. People in the hacker community don't really like that sort of behaviour. And it will be these people that hunt down and expose the members of lulzsec. In fact, quite a few already have been identified.

    Law enforcement is playing catchup, and is probably using the information posted already to track these guys down. (As was the case with Ryan Cleary in the UK)

  2. Wow, seriously horrible post. Next time you feel like writing, don't. Perhaps it's time to pursue another talent, like Interpretive Dance?

  3. @twebb70 Indeed. The intelligence agencies are toying with scraps that factions of the hacking community have been dropping about each other. Their leads come from the embittered disputes of hackers whose political aspirations simply do not appear to be aligning very well - which is no surprise when you look at what Lulzsec are doing.

    They are using the feds as ammunition against each other... and what a relevant weapon it's proving to be.


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