Jake Davis (Reuters)
LONDON — Two British computer hackers have admitted they were behind cyber attacks on the websites of the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Squad, the CIA and the National Health Service.
Ryan Cleary and Jake Davis, members of a group of hackers called LulzSec, appeared in the dock at Southwark Crown Court in London to enter guilty pleas to some of the charges brought against them.
Both Cleary, 19, from Lerwick, Shetland, and Davis, 19, from Wickford, Essex pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to do an unauthorized act or acts with intent to impair, or with recklessness as to impairing, the operation of a computer or computers.
In a series of cyber attacks the duo targeted News International, Sony, Nintendo, Arizona State Police and film studio 20th Century Fox. They used so-called distributed denial of service (DDoS) strikes which flood websites with traffic, causing them to crash.
Cleary and Davis, however, denied allegations they posted “unlawfully obtained confidential computer data” to public websites including LulzSec.com, Pirate Bay and PasteBin. Through which they have been accused of encouraging offenses contrary to the Serious Crime Act.
It is believed they plotted to carry out the attacks with other unknown members of internet groups Anonymous, Internet Feds and LulzSec.
Cleary also confessed to four separate charges, including hacking into US Air Force Agency computers, based at the Pentagon.
All the offenses are said to have taken place between February and September 2011.
Alleged co-hackers Ryan Ackroyd, 25, and an unnamed 17-year-old high-achieving South London student deny their involvement in the DDoS attacks. They are due to stand trial with Cleary and Davis on April 8, 2013.
It will take over 3,000 hours to view the material which has been served against Ackroyd alone, the court heard.
All apart from Cleary were released on bail until trial next year.
It was reported last week that US prosecutors will not seek to extradite Cleary and will allow him to be sentenced by UK courts.
To read more, go to Sky News.