SP’s: Matthew Keys, a former Reuters employee was convicted of conspiring with Anonymous hackers to attack L.A. Times and Tribune.
This is more like a reel life revenge story that came into the real life. Matthew Keys was a Reuters employee and had worked for the Tribune Media company at KTXL Fox 40 and a producer for the Sacremento TV station until he was fired, back in 2010.
Out of spite as FBI maintains, Keys got in contact with one of the most active hacking division of the Anonymous group, the LulzSec. He contacted them with the username AESCracked through the IRC channel under #internetfeds and conspired to hack LA Times and Tribune.
Keys allegedly gave them his company’s (former) passwords, which the hackers used to break into the Tribune Media CMS and changed the heading of the LA Times article for tax cuts to “Pressure builds in House to elect CHIPPY 1337.” However, the violation was immediately curbed by the security engineers at the company.
Matthew Keys was held accountable of hacking on three separate charges of conspiracy, computer hacking, and password trafficking after charge sheet was filed and an official investigation started by confiscating his laptop.
Mr Keys had reportedly confessed to the crime in a recorded interview which he later refused, citing that he was on prescription drugs and not in sound mind. His lawyers are backing the same stance as well. Keys has updated his hacking adventure in the blog post for Reuters in 2014.
Nonetheless, Keys has been found guilty by the court on October 7, 2015 – and will be sentenced on January 20 next year. As per the law, he could be facing 25 years in prison.
The case has turned into a big blame game where everyone is alleging the other to be a conspirator!