Four British Lulzsec hackers get jail terms

A Crown Prosecution Service lawyer has branded four hackers as "cowardly and vindictive" following their successful prosecution.

The BBC reports that Jake Davis, Mustafa al-Bassam, former soldier Ryan Ackroyd and the rather more well known Ryan Cleary were yesterday handed jails sentences. Cleary was sentenced to 32 months, Davis to two years and Ackroyd to 30 months while Al Bassam was handed a 20-month suspended sentence.

Cleary is facing further action regarding indecent images of babies and children found on his hard drive.

The four were involved in a string of cyber attacks to the likes of EA, News International, the CIA and most famously Sony.

Ackroyd was described as the leader of the group with Cleary providing the software tools, Al Bassam posting the stolen data online and Davis dealing with the PR.

It’s possible that some or all of the group could face extradition to the US.

American Hector Monsegur has previously been named as the founder of Lulzsec. He was arrested in 2011 and has since cooperated with the FBI to aid in the capture of the group’s other members.

"The harm they caused was foreseeable, extensive and intended," CPS lawyer Andrew Hadik added. "Indeed, they boasted of how clever they were with a complete disregard for the impact their actions had on real people’s lives. This case should serve as a warning to other cybercriminals that they are not invincible."

Fellow prosecutor Sandip Patel added: "It’s clear from the evidence that they intended to achieve extensive national and international notoriety and publicity. This is not about young immature men messing about. They are at the cutting edge of a contemporary and emerging species of criminal offender known as a cybercriminal."