Poll: Do you find LulzSec's activities amusing?

LulzSec's activities are about as entertaining to me as watching third graders write "poop" on the black board when the teacher isn't watching.

That said, I wish there were a "No" response other than "Hacking into companies and launching DDoS attacks is no laughing matter." The writers of the article seem to be going out of their way to match the stereotype of stodgy old corporate types shaking their fists at the young ones.

I don't think it is amusing.

I think it is a shame that it came to this. If these attacks required significant sophistication, that would be one thing. If these sites were mom-and-pop shops with low expectations for security, that would be another. (no offense to those moms and pops who have it together ;) )

How many years have we been blowing the trumpet for some rigor in security practices? I've lost track of how many times I've been overridden in the name of expediency and "no one would do that".

It isn't funny that thousands of innocent people are put at risk just to get past the false claims and denials put out by people who supposedly should know better.

With the exception of DDoS attacks, I think what they're doing is a good thing. Malicious hackers don't just take down sites - they go in, and try to get out undetected. If there is a major vulnerability (especially if it's easy to figure out), they're really doing these sites a favor in pointing it out. Obviously, rendering a free service, it's hard to worry about your client's PR issues... especially if bringing it up in a friendly way would probably take multiple phone calls and countless hours. They may not be doing the companies a favor, but they're definitely doing their clients a favor (Citi for example).

Vaguely. Their press releases are funnier, though, and everybody's reactions are hilarious. "Our security flaws wouldn't matter if you didn't go around pointing them out!"

I don't find their DDoS activities against targets like Minecraft and EVE Online amusing at all.

Defacing is sometimes humorous especially when it's a braggart security firm. It'd be a useful public service if they'd reveal which specific vulnerability was exploited in each intrusion.

DDoS is lame and stealing or destroying server data is not cool.

Amusing? Sort of.

Scary? Absolutely.

I knew security was weak out there, but they are hitting WAY too many sites of major companies. I can't believe they were all this vulnerable.

In the end, I think they are using the media to teach the entire world a lesson about security. I'd like to think that's their goal, but I'm pretty sure it really is for the Lulz.

Being honest here - I enjoy what they do. I do feel for the people who are being affected by this, but.... umm... I enjoy.

While they were still choosing targets that either "deserved" it for some moderately reasonable ideological reason (Sony) or should have top-notch security (FBI), yes. Now that they're choosing targets at random, no.

Especially since this is all so likely to end in an acceleration of government crackdown on web freedoms.

Mildly. It would be more amusing if it wasn't the same "joke" we've all been hearing for the last ten years. Remember g00ns? zf0? o&e? myg0t? r3m? ~el8? At least this one isn't in l33tspeak.

I guess the funny part is that it still works...

If anything, widespread random hacking underscores the need for correct software, so this should be good for those in the business of doing more than clicking shit in Eclipse.

Isn't to bad, keeps security front of mind. If there weren't any groups going around and doing this kind of thing big companies would be even more complacent than they are.

I "was" funny the first or second time. Now it's just old news.

These people are criminals.

I'd love to see some 20 year jail sentences out of this. The idea that because hacking a site is easy it's 'amusing' and justified is ludicrous.

I don't find it amusing :)

I find it amusing that the main press somehow highlights this in the form of DDOS attacks, and SQL injection rather than the more scary security vulns.. for example what happens when you give almost a million security card carrying clearance people access to all US state department cables..

The scariest security vulns are not technical they are human and institution based.

> Yes, they're funny. And they're making a serious point about security. More power to them!

Anybody who votes this should be slapped. Seriously. They have repeatedly stated their intent is to create "lulz" for themselves.