Crime & Safety
Phoenix Resident Arrested in Sony Pictures Hacking
Cody Kretsinger is taken into custody Thursday in connection with a late-May attack on the Culver City-based media giant's computer system.
Cody Kretsinger—an alleged member of the computer hacking group LulzSec—was arrested Thursday in Phoenix and is expected to face federal charges in connection with a hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment's system in late May that may have exposed the personal data of 37,500 individuals, according to officials.
Upon the arrest of 23-year-old Kretsinger, an indictment was unsealed in Los Angeles federal court charging the Phoenix resident with conspiracy and the unauthorized impairment of a protected computer in the cyber attack against Sony Pictures, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.
According to the indictment, Sony's computer system was hacked from May 27 through June 2 by LulzSec, or Lulz Security, whose members anonymously claimed responsibility on the group's
website.
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The extent of damage caused by the hack at Sony Pictures is still under investigation, according to Steven Martinez, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office.
Kretsinger, allegedly also known by the moniker “recursion,” is believed to be a current or former member of the group. The indictment accuses Kretsinger and co-conspirators of stealing information from the Sony Pictures computer systems and sharing the information on LulzSec’s website, then announcing the attack on Twitter. Officials say that LulzSec is known for its affiliation with the international hacking collective known as Anonymous, which plans cyber attacks and distributes information stolen from individuals and companies perceived to be hostile to its interests.
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According to an FBI press release, Kretsinger appeared in U.S. District Court in Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon and was released. The judge imposed travel restrictions and limited Kretsinger's computer use. He was also advised to appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Oct. 11 for a post-indictment arraignment.
If convicted, Kretsinger faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, prosecutors said.
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