LulzSec disbands following Battlefield Heroes breach

Hacker group releases 500,000 user names from EA's free-to-play shooter before declaring its 50-day virtual rampage over.

The past month has seen the hacker group Lulz Security (aka LulzSec) attack a variety of game companies, including Nintendo, Bethesda Softworks, Epic Games, CCP Games, and Mojang. Now, the group has announced its 50-day virtual rampage has come to a close and that the organization itself has disbanded.

"We are Lulz Security, and this is our final release, as today marks something meaningful to us," the group--which also calls itself the Lulz Boat--said in a statement. "For the past 50 days we've been disrupting and exposing corporations, governments, often the general population itself, and quite possibly everything in between, just because we could. All to selflessly entertain others--vanity, fame, recognition, all of these things are shadowed by our desire for that which we all love."

The statement concluded, "So with those last thoughts, it's time to say bon voyage. Our planned 50 day cruise has expired, and we must now sail into the distance, leaving behind--we hope--inspiration, fear, denial, happiness, approval, disapproval, mockery, embarrassment, thoughtfulness, jealousy, hate, even love. If anything, we hope we had a microscopic impact on someone, somewhere. Anywhere."

That said, LulzSec fired a parting salvo by hacking the site for Electronic Arts' free-to-play shooter Battlefield Heroes. The group released some 500,000 accounts with username and password combinations from the beta for the Digital Illusions CE-developed game, as well as bringing down the game's site.

In a brief statement on the official Battlefield Heroes website, EA confirmed a "security breach" by an unnamed party. However, it said that "to the best of our knowledge, it appears that no personal data was compromised--no emails, account history, credit card numbers or payment methods."

LulzSec's announcement comes a week after a 19-year-old Briton was arrested on suspicion of being part of the group. However, LulzSec used its Twitter account to deny any connection to the man.

Post comment as twitter logo facebook logo
Sort: Newest | Oldest
OriginalXboxGmr 5 pts

I hope those morons at LulzSec get what's coming to them...they all suck and they aren't impressing anybody. If any of you out there think that what they did was cool and revolutionary, then you're a moron, too. That's all I'm gonna say about it.

Tanares 39 pts

Lawl we attacked a free game site! We is leets! Tell ya what kids: Attack something like Fox News or Blizzard and maybe then we'll be impressed. No wait, we won't.

Apollo4x 5 pts

@mido1000 While yes it sucked that Sony got hacked it was no more their fault than it was ours. After studying Information Technology and getting a degree in it I can safely say that the only way you are ever going to keep a system perfectly safe is to never take it out of the box and hook it up. The moment you do any one out on the internet can and might hack you. The only thing companies and users can do is put the best security we can get in place and hope that what holes might be in the security never get used. But that is all any one can do put up security and pray no stupid hacker gets any ideas. Heck as it is banks, government computers, company computer, personal computers, and as we all know gaming computers have been hacked. So in closing don't blame the companies and other organizations for being hacked and saying that they don't give a crap, if any one should be looked at, cast out, and thrown in jail it is the sorry hackers that hack systems out of greed or the ones like Lulz that says they only did it because they could and that they wanted some entertainment. Rant over

Wormkid_64 93 pts

What the heck was all that noise?They sounded like they were trying to give a sad and inspiring farewell to long-time friends,off to continue some magical journey through the world to discover themselves. Get a hold of yourselves LulzSec! We as gamers hate you and your kind,A.K.A. hackers."just because we could" and "for selfless entertainment" are terrible reasons to attack our games,consoles,and companies,forcing a rise in security costs,and thus the costs of our products. The only warm fuzzy feeling I have related to LulzSec is the knowing that the bunch of (albeit technologically talented) dweebs with nothing to do is gone.Hopefully their proverbial vessel of happy feelings strikes a reef and gets plundered as it sinks to the briny deep. P.S. I don't care if hacking helps expose holes in security.There will always be holes,but it wouldn't matter if no one hacked in the first place.

wooten9000 5 pts

LULZ is prolly the best hacking faction in the history of computer code. Theyre simply unrivaled.

fizeau_17 5 pts

Had to disband since Geohot got hired by facebook

jma1024x 16 pts

somehow i don't think hacking video game companies free-to-play sites is "helping make the world a better place". LULZ indeed.

mido1000 5 pts

I actually appreciate lulzsec for their hacking for a simple reason:they've exposed how bad anti hacking securities are on big companies and those that have most of the market,i always thought sony wasnt caring about fan safety or data safety and they proved that.Besides,they have probably convinced companies to better their anti hacking services after what happened with sony's pathetic anti hacking "security".And besides,if they hadnt released at least SOME personal data sony and such wouldnt have cared because nothing important was lost and they would have been disregarded.

TheBlackKnight3 5 pts

Hurting the consumer, who did nothing wrong, to prove a point. What will the companies do after this? Continue what they were doing while preventing this from ever happening again. Companies will never change. They will always endlessly pursue greater profits. Don't punish the ignorant to spite the corrupt.

Espada_L 5 pts

The guy who got arrested, if he is connected to Lulzsec hacking they probably have him now increasing the security of there systems, with some cash in the midst of that. That's how it tends to work ;)

Kashmiro 23 pts

I heard they disbanded because they realized how stupid they actually are, that and the new patch for World of Warcraft came out today! Time for them to go back to raiding instead of hacking.

DredWulf 63 pts

I heard they disbanded because a rival hacker group called teampoison hacked them and made them look stupid it's on that internet archive site "Oh Internet" what used to be Encyclopedia dramatica.

HellBiscuit 5 pts

"Absolute power corrupts absolutely." That simple truth defines the corporations as evil and corrupt. Oil companies, Big Pharma, Insurance companies, the Catholic Church, politicians, and many, many more have proven time and again that they can not be trusted and certainly do not have the public's interests at heart, much less humanity's interests. Hacking groups like these are the necessary "evil" to help keep these institutions "honest". Do we like what they did? No. Will some people experience negative ramifications from what Lulz did? Yes. Simple profit/loss assessment: Only history will tell, but at a glance I personally view this as PROFIT. Companies like Sony (MMO market dominance even though IMO their games tend to suck) and EA (general VG dominance i.e. Mass Effects, Dragon Ages, Dead Spaces, Battlefields, etc.) have proven their complete incompetence as a direct result of Lulz's actions. Throw in the fact that these two companies control the entire gaming market (online and off) by being the scions of the worst worth/cost ratio and you've got one hell of a WHAAAAAAAmbulance driving down that road. Personally, I find this whole debate to be nothing more than mental flatulence, since what was done was done and no one can change it. So for my part in the fartfest, excuse me, but seriously...there's some growing up needed on both sides of this fence.

s_h_a_d_o 564 pts

Hmm... I see visions of rats... and the sinking ships from which they flee. :P

ch405m4r1n3 15 pts

For all the people calling for these guy's heads, chances are probably far greater that if any of them are found, they will be slapped on the wrist and then offered 6 figure salaries to work on their online security. Thats how it works.

Nodashi 178 pts

@jamyskis Your house is not a fortified bunker. You don't walk around inside an armored vehicle. Criminals EVERYWHERE can hurt you - they just don't because they are afraid what the governments (AKA the law) will do to them later. That's why we need grievous punishment for hacking, those no-lifers think they can cause trouble and go unpunished, that's the only reason they do it.

Nodashi 178 pts

YEah, it's always nice to feel in the flesh your stupidity CAN lead to personal loss, eh? They must arrest a LOT of hackers, things are goin out of control again.

JS0123456789 6 pts

They'll be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. It's a safe bet the law will relentlessly pursue these idiots. I hope it was worth it to them.

bigcrusha 77 pts

Apparently they hacked the Arizona P.D data base as well, THAT is gutsy. As if they didn't waste their lives on a 50 day hacking spree, they also risk throwing their lives away. I hope they realize nobody will remember them for this, and when the government finds them, they'll each be hung by their sacks

ABC2K 11 pts

Lol basically theyre just a bunch of loners than stay at home all day and can only be succesful on the internet as they are too scared to try it in the real world. Then they try and make out like theyre doing it for some grand cause. Well sorry but I am not buying it lulsec.

mightEone 5 pts

Idk maybe I'm just old but saying these guys need to get laid is not funny to me. You should be saying they need to get sodomized!

jamyskis 339 pts

@Vozlov & @GryphonICD I'm afraid you've missed the point. Many people will not take suitable measures to protect themselves against something they do not understand and will only act when the danger is staring them right in the face. People are all too aware that their house will be broken into if they leave windows and doors unsecured and valuables in plain sight. They accept this because most people have experienced it before at some time in their lives. As the saying goes: once bitten, twice shy. The same does not apply to computer security. The media has led a lot of lay people into a false sense of security by making them believe that any computer with a firewall and virus scanner is safe. Far from it. I've seen managers too tight-fisted to buy anything but the most basic and the cheapest security solutions possible, much to the chagrin of IT admins frustrated that their bosses just don't get it. This is not a mentality shared by kiddie porn distributors who, being absolutely paranoid that their servers full of smut will be found by some vigilante hacker or police investigator, go to rather extreme lengths to protect their wares. LulzSec claimed that their aim was to expose poor security, and if this is true, then they succeeded superbly. It would have been nice if they could have simply pointed out the flaws to the people in charge in a letter, but would it have worked? Not at all. They had to have the issue blow up in the faces of those responsible for them to pay attention.

elderscrollman 5 pts

. Our planned 50 day cruise has expired, and we must now plan on our evil plan to get laid ! for we are all virgins

d_kell411 32 pts

Another reality check: They allowed the Zeus malware program to steal over a billion dollars, they posted private user information "because they could"...and they "disrupted general society" because they could. They fit the definition of thieves and terrorists. BUT, they wanted to make an impact...an impact in the lives of 500,000 kids playing video games. Bravo! Huge impact guys, I'm willing to bet they never hacked the CIA or Citibank...some real hackers did it and they claimed credit.

eol_is 52 pts

... as the mighty winds blew as if roaring through the cities, reaching every street, backalley, open door and window, a deep, undefiable voice was heard and felt by all: "Let there be peace!". And so it was.

darkvaper 59 pts

I think the whole idea is to prove that such companies and Sites have poor security system .. and by hacking them they push the boundaries to the limits and force them to install and develop new systems which must be more secure and more reliable .. i hope thy learn the lesson !

dark_rising76 89 pts

Hackers like this group does nothing but suck donkey doo-doo all day. In a week no one will remember them or care that they ever existed.

tommynj 116 pts

The point they made was that these companies that they hacked into are not being taken care of properly, Infact, companies are not even caring to keep your information secure. Sure it was a bad thing to do but apparantly that is the only way people learn.

penpusher 89 pts

seeing a lot of "well they had good intentions" stuff as if these guys are robin hood ... REALITY CHECK people they stole peoples personal info and released it publicy on the net! And youre kidding yourselves if you reckon they dont know what kind of damage that can cause ...

penpusher 89 pts

@matiasve1 and you dont think these dudes had anything evil in mind? if that were true they would have deleted all that personal information rather than spread it around the internet! God why do people keep talking about these guys as the modern robin hood?

penpusher 89 pts

sorry lulzsec but listing every possible reaction people could have to you doesnt mean you did anything, you just made a nuisance of yourselves .... Give it a year and no one will remember who those losers were

Lytmare 39 pts

Most hacker groups kinda annoy me, but this lulsec group REALLY made me angry! Their little sissy statement that ended with 'leaving behind ... maybe love.' really was something else!.. I could have hurled chunks!

GamerLegend10 208 pts

they should have hacked youtube and deleted all Justin Bieber videos...just sayin

matiasve1 5 pts

What they did was wrong , it was unethical and unexcusable. But on the other hand , Hacking groups do have a function. In every parliamentary system the opposition is a needed and required party. These people didnt do anything wrong ( besides their virtual crimes ) , but it will be thanks to their crimes that we can protect ourself against similar threats who do have something evil in mind. So once again im not approving their actions but if noone is their to point out our flaws , we will seemingly have none until it is too late to realise what they are and how to improve ourself. PS: Im sorry to post such a boatload of text but I dont think explaining myself in less words would do any party any honor.

ecs33 27 pts

Hackers like this often times end up being high up in IT security companies. Despite their mal-intent and annoyances, hackers play a vital part in advancing IT security.

X-7 72 pts

I wanna make a hacking group that hacks hackers... anybody wanna join? :P

zprophecy 12 pts

Sheer wit and genius. Thank you LulzSec for the epic lulz. May your spirits live on in legend and tale forever. -zprophecy

xXl_z3r0_lXx 83 pts

lol Bezee4u just lost all respect. Don't respect the hackers, they're all jerks. sure what they were TRYING to do (this time)was a good(ish) thing but they're methods were nothing but pure evil. In the end they were all just a group of stupid kids who got themselves in big trouble for something really stupid (threatening a company for a lulzsec top hat and info an a game thats not out yet) and all ran away when one of them got arrested. They need to get out of they're parents basements and do something meaningful with they're lives

X-7 72 pts

Idiots. They can't even express proper thoughts without having it be a run-on sentence. Morons.

Davo-C 5 pts

No battle.net hacked? Clearly they play World of Warcraft and were taking time out of their busy raiding schedule to hack non-Blizzard companies. ^_^

RoOodriGowW 5 pts

It's funny because they now believe in their own lie , searching for inspiration my *** , nothing these companies do is worse than murder , robbery , burglary , rape , drug dealing yet you don't see random people trying to kill them.Oh well like Don Quixote these a*holes created a world of themselves.

KamuiFei 404 pts

Maybe they'll do something productive with their lives now. I highly doubt it though.

OldKye 15 pts

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

mkDSpro63 5 pts

Oh? Did they finally realize they were a waste of life?

Conversation powered by Livefyre

Hot Stories

Newsmakers

Featured Stories

Submit News

Got tips? Send them in!