With almost 150,000 Twitter followers, hacker group LulzSec certainly has a higher profile than it did a few weeks ago—so much so that it is now taking requests.
The group has opened a call-in line, where it will field suggestions for hacking targets. Don't like a particular company? Leave a message with LulzSec and the group might hack into its database and post damaging information on the Web.
"Now accepting calls from true lulz fans—let's all laugh together at butthurt gamers. 614-LULZSEC, accepting as many as we can, let's roll," the group tweeted yesterday.
LulzSec said it had 5,000 missed calls and 2,500 voicemails yesterday, a day it dubbed #TitanicTakeoverTuesday. The group's Tuesday targets included Escapist Magazine, Eve Online, Minecraft, League of Legends, and eight call-in requests. Today, it claims to have taken out the login server for Heroes of Newerth.
On its blog, security firm Sophos asked readers if they were amused or disgusted by LulzSec's hacks, and the results thus far are split. About 40 percent (or 597 votes) of people said the group is funny and is making a serious point about security, while 43 percent (or 652 votes) said no, they're not amusing and hacking into companies or launching DDoS attack are no laughing matter. Another 17 percent (or 259 votes) found LulzSec amusing, but did not approve of what the group was doing.
As Sophos has noted before, LulzSec does not "appear to be motivated purely for the group's own entertainment." LulzSec apparently agrees. When it hacked into the Senate.gov database, the group said it was a "small, just-for-kicks release" of internal data.
Other recent targets include Bethesda Softworks and a porn site, Sony, Nintendo, and FBI affiliates.
The authorities have not yet spoken publicly about LulzSec, though they are likely investigating. As Sophos also pointed out after the Senate hack, such activity could result in five to 20 years in prison under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, if convicted.
Update: LulzSec is now reporting that it is forwarding its call-in number to the customer support lines of various businesses, including magnets.com and World of Warcraft. "Our number literally has anywhere between 5-20 people ringing it every single second. We can forward it anywhere in the world. Suggestions?" the group tweeted.