Ryan Ackroyd | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Kayla |
| Occupation | Computer hacker |
| Organization | LulzSec |
| Known for | Founder of LulzSec |
Ryan Ackroyd,[1] a.k.a. Kayla[2][3] and also lolspoon, is a former black hat hacker who was one of the six core members of the computer hacking group "LulzSec"[4][5] during its 50-day spree of attacks from 6 May 2011 until 26 June 2011.[6] Throughout the time, Ackroyd posed as a female hacker named "Kayla" and was responsible for the penetration of multiple military and government domains and many high profile intrusions into the networks of Gawker in December 2010, HBGaryFederal in 2011, PBS, Sony, Infragard Atlanta, Fox Entertainment and others. He eventually served 30 months in prison for his hacking activities.
After his release from jail, Ackroyd publicly stated during "a conversation with Lulzsec"[7] that he believes Anonymous, other activists and like-minded should come together and attempt to change issues legally.
In December 2014, he gave his first ever lecture[8] in an over-capacity lecture auditorium at Sheffield Hallam University[9] for over 200 students, where he spoke about Lulzsec and their "50 days of lulz".
On his Twitter account,[10] Ackroyd vowed to help the security of the systems he once breached, stating that he would "help secure and defend the systems in hopes we can all learn from each other, should I be given the chance to do so". He also added "For me, it wasn't about stealing people's information, I just wanted to show people how flawed their so-called secure systems are. People need to fix their stuff… I sent countless emails to companies and even government organisations and I was ignored. I soon realised I'd have to show them why they should secure themselves before they would listen. I'm like Jiminy Cricket, only when you don't listen I'd hit you really hard with my tiny umbrella so you'd do the right thing," he joked.