Suspected Members of 'Lizard Squad' Hacking Group Charged by Feds in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL — Two 19-year-olds were charged by federal authorities and accused of belonging to hacker groups that ran websites that launched online and phone attacks against companies and individuals around the world, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago.

Zachary Buchta, 19, of Fallston, MD, and Bradley Jan Willem van Rooy, 19, of the Netherlands, face charges of consipiring to cause damage to protected computers after law enforcement conducted a worldwide investigation into two suspected hacking groups known as "Lizard Squad" and "PoodleCorp." As part of these groups, Buchta and van Rooy are not only accused of offering cyber-attacks-for-hire services, but also of trafficking in stolen payment accounts from victims in Illinois and around the world.

In September, Buchta was arrested in Maryland, and van Rooy was taken into custody by authorities in the Netherlands.

The Lizard Squad group is accused of creating a website that allowed customers to pay to have harassing phone calls sent to people anonymously, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. One victim in Illinois received a harassing call hourly for 30 days, according to authorities.

Prosecutors also claim the group launched numerous denial-of-service attacks on international gaming, entertainment and media companies thanks to "a massive network of compromised computers and devices," according to the federal complaint.

Along with the charges, federal authorities also seized the website domain names they claim were involved in the suspected conspiracy.

photo via Shutterstock

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