# LulzSec Hacks LulzSec Hacks refers to a 50-day cyber-attack spree run by the hacker crew Lulz Security between May and June 2011, hitting Fox, Sony, PBS, the CIA public site, and the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency before the group announced its retirement on Pastebin. The campaign became one of the most-watched hacking stories of the early Twitter era. ## Origin The campaign's first public hit landed on May 5, 2011, when the crew breached Fox Broadcasting Company and released the X Factor contestants database along with about 73,000 applicant records[1]. Five days later they dumped a Fox.com sales database. The @LulzSec Twitter handle became the operation's stage: each new intrusion was called out with a "tango down" tweet[3] or a "spot the SQLi" taunt[2]. - **Platform:** Twitter (@LulzSec announcements) / Pastebin (data releases) - **Creator:** Lulz Security (LulzSec) - **Date:** 2011 ## Overview The LulzSec Hacks campaign mixed SQL injection breaches with DDoS attacks and website defacements, all announced on the group's @LulzSec Twitter feed under the "Lulz Boat" persona[3]. Signature stunts included overlaying the PBS homepage with a Nyan Cat image and the slogan "all your base are belong to lulzsec"[5], dumping stolen data via Pastebin and The Pirate Bay on Fridays under the tag #fuckfbifriday, and posting short "Tango down" tweets to claim each new target[6]. Between attacks the crew mixed political statements with jokes, from a fan message to Sega about the Dreamcast[4] to their public line that they were not at war with Anonymous[10]. ## How It Spread In late May and early June the group turned on Sony, claiming to have compromised over a million accounts across Sony Pictures, Sony Music Japan, SonyBMG Netherlands, and SonyBMG Belgium via SQL injection[2]. LulzSec cited Sony's lawsuit against iPhone jailbreak hacker George Hotz as its motive, and blamed a Frontline documentary on WikiLeaks for its subsequent PBS defacement[5]. On June 15 they knocked cia.gov offline with the message "Tango down – cia.gov – for the lulz"[3]. June 19 brought Operation Anti-Security, a joint campaign with Anonymous announced on Pastebin. The next day the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency site fell to a DDoS attack that LulzSec claimed with another "tango down" tweet[6]. On June 23 the group released "Chinga La Migra," dumping Arizona Department of Public Safety files in protest of the SB1070 anti-immigration law[7]. Two days later LulzSec posted a farewell statement on Pastebin announcing its retirement after 50 days of hacking[5]. The retirement didn't stop the prosecutions. In March 2012 the US Department of Justice charged Ryan Ackroyd, Jake Davis, Darren Martyn, Donncha O'Cearrbhail, and Jeremy Hammond after Hector Xavier Monsegur (Sabu) was outed as an FBI informant following his August 2011 guilty plea[8]. YouTube channel FawkesSecurity's "LulzSec Returns" video the following month tried to relaunch the campaign, but skeptics questioned whether it had any tie to the original crew[9]. ## How to Use LulzSec Hacks is a historical event, not a template. References usually invoke the "Tango down" catchphrase the group used to announce each new target[3] or the Nyan Cat overlay on the defaced PBS homepage[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is LulzSec Hacks? LulzSec Hacks refers to the 2011 cyber-attack campaign by hacker group Lulz Security, which hit Fox, Sony, PBS, the CIA public site, and the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency across a 50-day run[3]. ### Where did LulzSec Hacks come from? The campaign kicked off on May 5, 2011, when the crew breached Fox Broadcasting Company and released the X Factor contestants database via the @LulzSec Twitter account[1]. ### What does LulzSec Hacks mean? The term covers Lulz Security's string of SQL injection breaches, DDoS attacks, and defacements, claimed for "the lulz" and tagged #fuckfbifriday[6]. ### How do you use LulzSec Hacks? It is a historical hacking event rather than a meme format, but references often quote the group's "Tango down" callouts[3] or the Nyan Cat PBS defacement. ### Is LulzSec Hacks still popular? The original crew retired in June 2011 and its core members were prosecuted after Sabu's role as FBI informant surfaced in March 2012[8]. ## References 1. [https://x.com/i/status/66648067281141760]() 2. [https://x.com/i/status/72823208465805312]() 3. [https://x.com/i/status/81748529609048064]() 4. [https://x.com/i/status/81765889329991680]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/lulzsec-hacks]() 6. [https://x.com/i/status/82836801731043328]() 7. [https://x.com/i/status/84032144283938816]() 8. [https://th3j35t3r.wordpress.com/2011/11/19/if-i-am-wrong-ill-say-im-wrong-heres-my-apology/]() 9. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX6Z9x-W5wI]() 10. [https://x.com/i/status/81754107299373056]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/lulzsec-hacks Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library