UPDATE: Lulzsec is now saying that they were unaware of any UK Census attack, and equally unaware of any arrests. More updates follow orginal story below.
Last night a post appeared on Pastebin attributed to the hacker group Lulzsec claiming that they had stolen the entirety of the 2011 UK Census data. Shortly thereafter, news outlets began reporting that UK police had taken 19-year old into custody, whom is reportedly related to the hacker group.
From Pastebin:
Greetings Internets,
We have blissfully obtained records of every single citizen who gave their records to the security-illiterate UK government for the 2011 census
We’re keeping them under lock and key though… so don’t worry about your privacy (…until we finish re-formatting them for release)
Myself and the rest of my Lulz shipmates will then embark upon a trip to ThePirateBay with our beautiful records for your viewing pleasure!
Unlike previous attacks, the UK Census claim was not accompanied by any announcement over Lulzsec’s Twitter feed, which has been the primary mouthpiece of the organization. There were some suggestive hints that something larger would be forthcoming, but given all the activity surrounding the group’s AntiSec campaign it is hard to say if the two posts are related. As of writing, the most recent message Lulzsec tweet reads:
Our next step is to categorize and format leaked items we acquire and release them in #AntiSec “payloads” on our website and The Pirate Bay.
So far, the UK Census organization has told media outlets that they are unaware of an intrusion, but are taking the matter seriously and have begun investigating.
Not long after news of the census breach arose, the UK’s Channel 4 began reporting that an Essex teenager had been arrested in a joint operation between UK police and the FBI. The report claims that the unnamed individual was part of the census attack, and make specific mention of the Lulzsec group. A release from the Metropolitan Police’s e-Crime unit was less enlightening:
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) have arrested a 19-year-old man in a pre-planned intelligence-led operation.
The arrest follows an investigation into network intrusions and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against a number of international business and intelligence agencies by what is believed to be the same hacking group.
The teenager was arrested on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act, and Fraud Act offences and was taken to a central London police station, where he currently remains in custody for questioning.
Searches at a residential address in Wickford, Essex, following the arrest last night have led to the examination of a significant amount of material. These forensic examinations remain ongoing.
The PCeU was assisted by officers from Essex Police and have been working in co-operation with the FBI.
Though facts are sparse, it seems clear that big things are afoot on the Internet. We’ll keep you updated, as this news develops.
UPDATE: Lulzsec has addressed the arrest through their Twitter feed.
Seems the glorious leader of LulzSec got arrested, it’s all over now… wait… we’re all still here! Which poor bastard did they take down?
UPDATE: Apparently the lack of Twitter updates was unusual. Lulzsec is now saying that they had nothing to do with any attack regarding UK Census data.
Just saw the pastebin of the UK census hack. That wasn’t us – don’t believe fake LulzSec releases unless we put out a tweet first.
