Australian authorities have arrested who they claim is a 24-year-old "self-proclaimed leader" of the LulzSec hacking group, which has taken credit for several high-profile hacks and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
Police first became suspicious of the suspect, who works in the Information Technology field, earlier this month following an investigation into a compromised government website. His job, authorities say, gave him "access to sensitive information" owned by his employer's clients, including government agencies.
The "man’s knowledge and skills presented a significant risk to the clients of the company for which he was employed," reads the release.
The yet-unnamed suspect is facing three charges carrying a total potential of 12 years behind bars.
LulzSec, which has ties to Anonymous, claimed responsibility for a 2011 hack against Sony. That hack resulted in the exposure of thousands of users' personal data and temporarily knocked the PlayStation network offline. Another member of LulzSec, Cody Kretsinger, was last week sentenced to one year in jail by American authorities for his role in the Sony breach.
While the Sony Pictures hack is among LulzSec's most well-known and likely most costly attack (Sony Pictures claimed $600,000 in damages in the Kretsinger case), the group is also known for using DDoS attacks to knock major websites offline, including the site of the Central Intelligence Agency.