Cody Kretsinger of Tempe Arizona was arrested yesterday and faces charges relating to the computer hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment earlier this summer where more than 37,000 customers had their information stolen, Reuters is reporting. Kretsinger, under the online name “recursion” is believed to be a member of LulzSec.
The 23-year old college student is charged with one count each of conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. If convicted of both counts, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
The hacking group, at the time of the security breach, published the names, passwords and other personal data of thousands of people who had entered contests promoted by Sony. “From a single injection we accessed EVERYTHING,” the hacking group said in a statement at the time. “Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks.”
Previously, hackers had accessed customer information on over 100 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity accounts in what was then the largest such security breach in history, The Telegraph reports.
Kretsinger was ordered released on his own recognizance by US Magistrate Judge Lawrence Anderson after an initial court appearance in Phoenix. However as a condition of his release, Kretsinger was prohibited from having internet access except at his place of employment, and was barred from traveling to any state other than Arizona, California and Illinois where he has family.
The arrest of Kretsinger marks the first known US member of LulzSec, which is believed to be responsible for other hacking crimes involving various government and business entities across the world, authorities said.
The ongoing investigation may bring additional charges as Kretsinger was known to be aided by other known and unknown co-conspirators, AP reports. “The investigation is ongoing,” said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
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