We are anonymous inside the hacker world of lulzse

Descriptions of Ryan Mark Ackroyd were sourced from my observations of Ackroyd at his first court appearance, on March 16, 2012.
Details about his younger sister, Kayleigh, were sourced from a directory search on Ryan Ackroyd’s name, which revealed the names
of Ackroyd’s parents and siblings; the physical description of Kayleigh was sourced from her public Facebook account, as were the
comments she posted on her brother Keiron’s Facebook wall.
The dates and basic details about the first and second arrests of Ryan Ackroyd were sourced from Metropolitan Police press releases for
both incidents. Interview requests with the Metropolitan Police for further details about Ryan Ackroyd and the Met investigation into
Anonymous generally were denied.
Details about the reaction in the Anonymous community to news that Sabu had been an informant for eight months were sourced from
interviews with academic Gabriella Coleman, Jake Davis, and a handful of Anons, along with my observation of various Twitter
feeds, blog posts, and comments on IRC channels frequented by Anonymous supporters.
Glossary
4chan: A popular online image board frequented by 22 million unique users a month. Originally billed as a place to discuss Japanese
anime, it morphed into a meeting ground for the discussion of all manner of topics, including online pranks, or “raids,” against other
websites or individuals (see chapters 2 and 3). A key feature is the forced anonymity of its users, who are thus able to post freely,
fearing neither inhibition nor accountability.
Anonymous: A name that refers to groups of people who disrupt the Internet to play pranks or as a means of protest. Derived from the
forced anonymity of users of the image board 4chan, it has evolved over the last five years to become associated with high-profile
cyber attacks on companies and government agencies. With no clear leadership structure or rules of membership, it exists as a fluid
collective of people who follow a loose set of principles derived from the 47 Rules of the Internet. The wider collective takes on
various guises, depending on whoever happens to be endorsing the name at the time—e.g., the Chanology organizers of 2008 (see
chapter 5) and the LulzSec hackers of 2011 (see chapter 17).
Antisec (Anti Security): A cyber movement started in the early 2000s in which black hat hackers campaigned to end the system of “full
disclosure” among IT security professionals, often by attacking those same white hat professionals. LulzSec revived the movement in
the summer of 2011, with the vague goal of attacking government agencies and figures of authority in a sometimes superficial effort
to expose corruption.
/b/: The most popular board on 4chan, visited by about a third of the site’s users. /b/ was originally billed as the site’s “random” board
by 4chan creator Christopher “moot” Poole. It ended up serving as a blank slate on which a host of creative Internet memes, such as
Lolcats, were born, and is widely considered to be the birthplace of the Anonymous “hive-mind.” Many Anonymous supporters say
they first found Anonymous through /b/. It is infamous for its lack of moderators.
Black hat: Someone who uses knowledge of software programming for malicious means, such as defacing a website or stealing
databases of personal information for the purpose of selling it to others. A black hat is also referred to as a “cracker.”
Botnet: A network of so-called zombie computers that have been brought together by spreading a virus or links to bogus software
updates. Botnets can be controlled by one person, who can order thousands, sometimes millions, of computers to carry out Webbased
commands en masse.
Chanology: Also known as Project Chanology, this is the series of cyber attacks, protests, and pranks conducted by supporters of
Anonymous throughout most of 2008 against the Church of Scientology, the name being a portmanteau of “4chan” and
“Scientology.”
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service): An attack on a website or other network resource carried out by a network of computers that
temporarily knocks the site offline by overwhelming it with junk traffic. The attack can be carried out by a network of volunteers
behind each computer (see “LOIC”) or a network whose computers have been hijacked to become part of a botnet.
Deface: When used as a noun, this term refers to the image and text that is published on a site that has been hacked, announcing that it is
a target and the reason it has been attacked. When used as a verb, it means to vandalize a website.
Dox: When used as a verb, this term refers to the act of unearthing personal details, such as real names, phone numbers, and home
addresses, usually through Google or social engineering. The resultant information is a person’s “dox.” Doxing is often thrown
around as a threat in Anonymous and among hacker communities, which are inhabited by online personalities who use nicknames
and almost never reveal their true identities.
Encyclopedia Dramatica: A website that chronicles much of the goings-on in Anonymous, including Internet memes, 4chan language,
and online discussions among the more popular users of various blogs and IRC networks. The site is almost a parody of Wikipedia; it
has the same look and is also edited by users, but its style is irreverent, profane, and occasionally nonsensical, filled with in jokes and
links to other ED entries that only insiders can understand.
Hacker: A loosely defined term that, in the context of Anonymous, refers to someone who has the technical skills to break into a
computer network (see “black hat” and “white hat”). Generally speaking, the term can refer to a computer programming enthusiast or
hobbyist who enjoys tinkering with internal systems and creating shortcuts and new systems.
Hacktivist: A portmanteau derived from “hacker” and “activist,” it refers to someone who uses digital tools to help spread a political or
sociological message. Among the more illegal methods used are DDoS attacks, website defacements, and the leaking of confidential
data.
Image board: An online discussion forum with loose guidelines in which users often attach images to help illustrate their comments.