12-26-2017, 05:00 AM
Founding member of Lizard Squad pleads guilty to cyber-crimes
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgamedev.win/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/founding-member-of-lizard-squad-pleads-guilty-to-cyber-crimes.jpg" width="200" height="200" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>A founding member of Lizard Squad, a group of cyber-attackers that took credit for taking down the PlayStation Network in 2014, has plead guilty to cyber-crimes.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-hacker-guilty-cyber-attack-20171219-story.html">reported by the Chicago Tribune</a>, Zachary Buchta confessed to being one of the group’s founding members during his guilty plea, where he admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit damage to protected computers. </p>
<p>The charge can often carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 2.5 years if Buchta co-operates with a planned investigation. </p>
<p>Lizard Squad rose to prominence after <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/224065/PlayStation_Network_attacked_over_the_weekend.php">disrupting the PlayStation Network</a> with a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack in August 2014. </p>
<p>The group also managed to get a plane carrying then Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley diverted to a different location by tweeting a bomb threat at American Airlines. </p>
<p>Lizard Squad continued to hound Smedley after his move to <em>H1Z1</em> developer Daybreak, and took responsibility for <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/248308/Daybreak_suffers_DDOS_attacks_following_CEOs_hacker_complaints.php">multiple DDOS attacks</a> against the company. </p>
<p>The serious nature of the crimes prompted the FBI to look into the matter, while the UK’s National Crime Agency also begun its own investigation, and eventually <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/252539/UK_cops_arrest_PSN_Xbox_Live_DDoS_attackers.php">managed to arrest five teens</a> in connection with the attacks.</p>
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<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="https://www.sickgamedev.win/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/founding-member-of-lizard-squad-pleads-guilty-to-cyber-crimes.jpg" width="200" height="200" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>A founding member of Lizard Squad, a group of cyber-attackers that took credit for taking down the PlayStation Network in 2014, has plead guilty to cyber-crimes.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-hacker-guilty-cyber-attack-20171219-story.html">reported by the Chicago Tribune</a>, Zachary Buchta confessed to being one of the group’s founding members during his guilty plea, where he admitted to one count of conspiracy to commit damage to protected computers. </p>
<p>The charge can often carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, but prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 2.5 years if Buchta co-operates with a planned investigation. </p>
<p>Lizard Squad rose to prominence after <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/224065/PlayStation_Network_attacked_over_the_weekend.php">disrupting the PlayStation Network</a> with a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack in August 2014. </p>
<p>The group also managed to get a plane carrying then Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley diverted to a different location by tweeting a bomb threat at American Airlines. </p>
<p>Lizard Squad continued to hound Smedley after his move to <em>H1Z1</em> developer Daybreak, and took responsibility for <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/248308/Daybreak_suffers_DDOS_attacks_following_CEOs_hacker_complaints.php">multiple DDOS attacks</a> against the company. </p>
<p>The serious nature of the crimes prompted the FBI to look into the matter, while the UK’s National Crime Agency also begun its own investigation, and eventually <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/252539/UK_cops_arrest_PSN_Xbox_Live_DDoS_attackers.php">managed to arrest five teens</a> in connection with the attacks.</p>
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