LulzSec calls it a day

LulzSec
LulzSec has 'disbanded'

After creating 50 days of havoc and panic across the internet, the infamous hacking group LulzSec has gone into retirement.

Following a widespread hacking spree which targeted the likes of Sony, Nintendo, the CIA and the UK's organised crime website, the group says it is disbanding.

The announcement comes following the arrest of a British teenager believed to be involved with the group and as a rival group revealed the purported identities of its members.

In an eloquently-worded-call-to-humanity of a statement, the six-member group says that they were never doing it for fame, but just because they could.

Thrill of anarchy

"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," the statement reads.

"All to selflessly entertain others - vanity, fame, recognition, all of these things are shadowed by our desire for that which we all love. The raw, uninterrupted, chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy.

"It's what we all crave, even the seemingly lifeless politicians and emotionless, middle-aged self-titled failures.

"You are not failures. You have not blown away. You can get what you want and you are worth having it, believe in yourself."

AntiSec lives on

However, despite 'sailing into the sunset' the group says the AntiSec movement which it, along with Anonymous, resurrected will live on.

"Again, behind the mask, behind the insanity and mayhem, we truly believe in the AntiSec movement.

"We believe in it so strongly that we brought it back, much to the dismay of those looking for more anarchic lulz.

"We hope, wish, even beg, that the movement manifests itself into a revolution that can continue on without us.

"The support we've gathered for it in such a short space of time is truly overwhelming, and not to mention humbling.

"Please don't stop. Together, united, we can stomp down our common oppressors and imbue ourselves with the power and freedom we deserve."

The A-Team strikes

LulzSec's retirement comes as a rival group The A-Team offered the group a little of its own medicine, publishing the purported names and locations of LulzSec's members and their families.

Claiming that LulzSec simply lacked the ability to continue its reign of terror, and that it was simply "not very good at hacking" The A-Team has decided to expose the members.

"The problem with Lulzsec/gn0sis's "Hacktivist" mantra is that they lack the skills to keep it going. As such after SONY they couldn't get into anything.

"So they switched their focus to just releasing random crap that didn't mean anything."

So is the LulzSec retirement just a coincidence or a direct result of The A-Team's revelation?

Chris Smith

A technology journalist, writer and videographer of many magazines and websites including T3, Gadget Magazine and TechRadar.com. He specializes in applications for smartphones, tablets and handheld devices, with bylines also at The Guardian, WIRED, Trusted Reviews and Wareable. Chris is also the podcast host for The Liverpool Way. As well as tech and football, Chris is a pop-punk fan and enjoys the art of wrasslin'.