The recent hacking activity of a small group of determined individuals known as LulzSec will leave an indelible legacy on the web for a number of reasons. Whilst many will consider their activities to be at best reckless and at worst dangerous and irresponsible, I for one believe that they have served the world a great service.
LulzSec got stuck in to a variety of websites and networked systems uncovering simplistic security flaws in the IT of companies such as Sony, Fox, Black & Berg, Bethesda Game Studios, US Senate, the CIA, the state of Arizona amongst many , many others that in all honesty should know better. These flaws exposed personal information such as credit card details, passwords, log-ins etc.
LulzSec’s work showcased a real lack in basic security in a number of massive databases and hopefully the work of the group and the resulting fear that companies felt of being ‘next’ will help ensure that this critical and often personal data will be better protected in future.
No doubt many who fear the move towards cloud storage and computing will hold this up as a reason not to go down such a route but I think this has only made the case stronger as the pressure is now on exponents and providers of this form of IT service to deliver better security and showcase more resilience to the hacking threat.
Whilst Lulzsec may have chosen to disband and we will likely never really know who they were, I’d like to doff my black hat and offer a courteous bow in thanks to their efforts...they shook up and industry that had gotten complacent, one that should be safer in the future as a result.
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