LulzSec Copycat Hackers Attack Military Dating Site

Dennis Faas's picture

A new hacking group has emerged under a familiar name: LulzSec. Infiltrating dating and communications sites, its activity has led experts to fear that more copycat hacking organizations will emerge this year.

The new group calls itself LulzSec Reborn, a clear rip-off of the LulzSec name made infamous last year. That rather unique moniker came from a combination of hacker lingo for "laughing out loud" with a short-hand name for "security."

First Target of 'LulzSec Reborn' Attack: Single Soldiers

The new group's first target was MilitarySingles, an online dating site for soldiers and other military staff. The hacker organization published what it claims to be personal details of 170,937 account holders, including email addresses and account passwords.

The company that runs the MilitarySingles site says it is investigating the hackers' claims, but hasn't yet confirmed a data security breach. (Source: tomsguide.com)

Besides causing embarrassment, revealing military personnel's private information would be a security risk for those members of the military who use the same log-in details on multiple sites.

Soldiers, sailors, airmen, and others in the military who don't change their passwords could also be subject to having their dating accounts used by pranksters.

The LulzSec Reborn group is also claiming responsibility for an attack on CSS Corp, a worldwide communications company.

The hackers say they have publicly posted the firm's entire email database, including log-in details, and have also threatened to forcibly delete the entire database from the company's servers. (Source: zdnet.com)

New 'LulzSec Reborn' Attacks Bring Back Bad Memories

While it doesn't appear that anyone now involved in LulzSec Reborn was a member of the original group, current members do seem intent on some sort of tribute to that nefarious collective.

An online poster claiming to be part of the new group has written "the idea is to continue what some have started and never managed to finish."

The original LulzSec carried out a 50-day hacking campaign last year, infiltrating and then vandalizing the front pages of several prominent websites.

The original group's most memorable action may have been altering the PBS news site to carry a bogus story claiming deceased rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur had been found alive in New Zealand.

There have been several arrests of suspected LulzSec members, most notably five on the same day in early March, 2012.

At that time, news emerged that the original LulzSec leader, Hector Monsegur, known online as Sabu, had been arrested the previous August and had since become an FBI informer, giving up details on his former associates.

At the present time, it is not known what new hacking groups may emerge in response to LulzSec Reborn. However, experts suggest those responsible for data security remain on high alert for a resurgence of copycat hacking attacks.

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