Hector Monsegur

Hector Monsegur was born in New York to a 16-year-old father who raised him with his 40-year-old grandmother. Following the arrest of his father and his aunt for selling heroin, Monsegur moved to the Riis Houses (also known as the projects) in New York City with his grandmother.{{cite web |last=Fishman |first=Steve |date=June 11, 2018 |title=Hello, I Am Sabu ... |url=https://nymag.com/news/features/lulzsec-sabu-2012-6/index2.html |access-date=April 10, 2013 |work=New York |page=3 |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721040607/https://nymag.com/news/features/lulzsec-sabu-2012-6/index2.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Sengupta |first=Somini |date=March 7, 2012 |title=Arrests Sow Mistrust Inside a Clan of Hackers |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/technology/lulzsec-hacking-suspects-are-arrested.html?pagewanted=all |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |access-date=February 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721040728/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/technology/lulzsec-hacking-suspects-are-arrested.html?pagewanted=all |url-status=live }}

At a young age, Monsegur became interested in computers.

While attending Washington Irving High School, Monsegur was reprimanded by a security guard for bringing a screwdriver to school to help fix their computer system. Feeling insulted, he sent several complaints to the school administration. His complaints were deemed "threatening," and he was expelled. After this incident, he discontinued his formal education.{{Cite book |last=Coleman |first=E. Gabriella |title=Hacker, hoaxer, whistleblower, spy: the many faces of Anonymous |date=2015 |publisher=Verso |isbn=978-1-78168-983-7 |edition=First published in paperback |series=Politics |location=London, New York}}

An early experience with hacking was at age 14 when a Puerto Rican person was accidentally killed by the Marine Corps when they started bombing outside the test range on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. In response, Monsegur defaced various websites with messages protesting the US government's treatment of Puerto Ricans. On one site he included the line "Hello, I am Sabu, no one special for now."

In 2010, following the death of his grandmother, he became the foster parent to his two female cousins whom he was unable to support financially, so he began hacking. Committing mostly credit card fraud, he targeted large corporate bank accounts. Although he was at first only interested in hacking for profit, over time he became interested in hacktivism, and this renewed interest coincided with the rise of the political hacker group Anonymous, which he joined under the moniker "Sabu".

Sabu became the leader of a new hacking group formed by six Anonymous members. This new group was named Lulz Security (often abbreviated as LulzSec). LulzSec performed some hacks with political motives, but most of the hacks done by LulzSec were primarily motivated by a style of humor that they described as "the lulz". LulzSec was only active during a period that they referred to as the "50 days of lulz". In this time, their targets included News Corporation, Sony, and the CIA's official website.{{Cite web |last=Weisenthal |first=Joe |title=Notorious Hacker Group LulzSec Just Announced That It's Finished |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/lulzsec-finished-2011-6 |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US |archive-date=June 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619091202/https://www.businessinsider.com/lulzsec-finished-2011-6 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |date=2011-06-16 |title=LulzSec hackers claim CIA website shutdown |language=en-GB |work=BBC.com |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-13787229 |access-date=2023-06-19 |archive-date=June 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619091201/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-13787229 |url-status=live }}

Sabu was identified by rival hacker group Backtrace Security as {{sic|"Hector Montsegur"}} on March 11, 2011, in "Namshub," a PDF publication (named after the Sumerian word for "incantation").{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Paul |date=March 7, 2012 |title=Chats, Car Crushes and Cut 'N Paste Sowed Seeds Of LulzSec's Demise |url=http://threatpost.com/chats-car-crushes-and-cut-n-paste-sowed-seeds-lulzsecs-demise-030712/76298 |access-date=January 9, 2014 |publisher= |website=Threatpost.com |archive-date=January 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110092543/http://threatpost.com/chats-car-crushes-and-cut-n-paste-sowed-seeds-lulzsecs-demise-030712/76298 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Splinter Group Says Document Outs Anonymous Members |url= https://threatpost.com/splinter-group-says-document-outs-anonymous-members-032211/75057/ |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=threatpost.com |language=en}} Backtrace Security was a group of ex-Anonymous members who had grown critical of vigilante hacktivism. One member of the group explained their motives by stating, "One cannot fight for justice and democracy by using unjust, anti-democratic tactics."{{Cite web |last=Greenberg |first=Andy |title=Ex-Anonymous Hackers Plan To Out Group's Members |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/03/18/ex-anonymous-hackers-plan-to-out-groups-members/ |access-date=2023-06-19 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=December 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221225131030/https://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/03/18/ex-anonymous-hackers-plan-to-out-groups-members/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web| title= Backtrace Security | publisher= Federal Bureau of Investigation| via= archive.org| date= October 3, 2011| url= https://archive.org/details/backtrace-security/mode/2up| access-date= }} Backtrace Security had found his identity through an IRC chatlog in which Sabu accidentally posted a link to his personal website.

Federal agents arrested Monsegur on June 7, 2011. The following day, Monsegur agreed to become an informant for the FBI and to continue his "Sabu" persona.{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Chad |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204603004577269844134620160 |title=FBI's 'Sabu' Hacker Was a Model Informant |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=March 9, 2012 |archive-date=August 11, 2017 |access-date=August 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170811182857/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204603004577269844134620160 |url-status=live }} A few days after that bail hearing, Monsegur entered a guilty plea to 12 criminal charges, including multiple counts of conspiracy to engage in computer hacking, computer hacking in furtherance of fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He faced up to 124 years in prison.

As an informant, Monsegur provided the FBI with details enabling the arrest of five other hackers associated with the groups Anonymous, LulzSec and AntiSec.{{cite news |last=Ball |first=James |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/mar/06/lulzsec-court-papers-sabu-anonymous?intcmp=239 |title=LulzSec court papers reveal extensive FBI co-operation with hackers |newspaper=The Guardian |date=March 6, 2012 |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |access-date=December 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721040849/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/mar/06/lulzsec-court-papers-sabu-anonymous?intcmp=239 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Bonderud |first=Douglas |url=http://www.theinfoboom.com/articles/former-lulzsec-headman-turns-informant-to-help-bust-bad-guys |title=Former Lulzsec Headman Turns Informant To Help Bust Bad Guys |date=March 15, 2012 |publisher=Infoboom |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317074826/http://www.theinfoboom.com/articles/former-lulzsec-headman-turns-informant-to-help-bust-bad-guys/ |archive-date=March 17, 2012}} The FBI provided its own servers for the hacking to take place. Information Monsegur provided also resulted in the arrest of two UK hackers: James Jeffery and Ryan Cleary.{{cite news |last=Thomson |first=Iain |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/23/lulzsec_sabu_freedom/ |title=LulzSec sneak Sabu buys six more months of freedom |newspaper=The Register |date=August 23, 2012 |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |access-date=August 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527183828/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/23/lulzsec_sabu_freedom/ |url-status=live }} The FBI attempted to use Monsegur to entrap Nadim Kobeissi, author of the secure communication software Cryptocat, but without success.{{cite news |first=Somini |last=Sengupta |title=A Hacker Charms and Disappoints |url=http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/a-hacker-charms-and-disappoints/ |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 12, 2012 |archive-date=August 12, 2012 |access-date=July 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812020222/http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/12/a-hacker-charms-and-disappoints/ |url-status=live }}

Monsegur maintained his pretense until March 6, 2012, even tweeting his "opposition" to the federal government until the very last minute. On March 6, 2012, the FBI announced the arrests of five male suspects: two from Britain, two from Ireland and one from the U.S. Anonymous reacted to Sabu's unmasking and betrayal of LulzSec on Twitter, "#Anonymous is a hydra, cut off one head and we grow two back".{{cite web |last=Covert |first=Adrian |url=https://gizmodo.com/5890961/anonymous-reacts-to-sabus-betrayal-of-lulzsec |title=Anonymous Reacts to Sabu's Betrayal of LulzSec |website=Gizmodo |date=March 6, 2012 |access-date=September 9, 2017 |archive-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211215846/https://gizmodo.com/5890961/anonymous-reacts-to-sabus-betrayal-of-lulzsec |url-status=dead }}

A court filing made by prosecutors in late May 2014 revealed Monsegur had prevented 300 cyber-attacks in the three years since 2011, including planned attacks on NASA, the U.S. military and media companies.{{cite news |title=LulzSec hacker helped FBI stop over 300 cyber attacks |url=http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/222347973/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/LulzSec-hacker-helped-FBI-stop-over-300-cyber-attacks |access-date=May 26, 2014 |publisher=Big News Network |archive-date=May 27, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212446/http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/222347973/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/LulzSec-hacker-helped-FBI-stop-over-300-cyber-attacks |url-status=live }}

Monsegur served 7 months in prison after his arrest but had been free since then while awaiting sentencing. At his sentencing on May 27, 2014, he was given "time served" for co-operating with the FBI and set free under one year of probation.{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/hacker-helped-feds-gets-no-more-time-prison-163849732.html |title=Hacker who helped feds gets no more time in prison |work=Yahoo News |agency=Associated Press |first=Larry |last=Neumeister |date=May 27, 2014 |access-date=May 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527221033/https://news.yahoo.com/hacker-helped-feds-gets-no-more-time-prison-163849732.html |archive-date=May 27, 2014 }}

After his release from prison, Monsegur worked as a white hat hacker doing pentesting.{{Cite magazine |last=Greenberg |first=Andy |title=Anonymous' Most Notorious Hacker Is Back, and He's Gone Legit |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/10/anonymous-notorious-hacker-back-hes-gone-legit/ |access-date=2022-03-20 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=March 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305235822/https://www.wired.com/2016/10/anonymous-notorious-hacker-back-hes-gone-legit/ |url-status=live }}

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{{Hacking in the 2010s}}

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Category:1983 births

Category:American cybercriminals

Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent

Category:Anonymous (hacker group)

Category:Federal Bureau of Investigation informants

Category:Hackers

Category:Living people

Category:Washington Irving High School (New York City) alumni