Sony hacker pleads guilty

Accused Lulzsec hacker Cody Kretsinger pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in California to charges of taking part in an

extensive computer breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Kretsinger, 24, pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer in

a deal with prosecutors.

Lulzsec, an offshoot of the

international hacking group

Anonymous, has taken

credit for hacking attacks

on government and private sector websites.

Kretsinger, who went by the hacking moniker Recur

sion, told the judge after entering his guilty plea that he gave the information he got from the Sony site to other members of Lulzsec, who then posted it onto the group’s website and on Twitter.

Kretsinger and other Lulzsec hackers, including those known as “Sabu” and “Topiary,” stole the personal information of thousands of people after launching an attack on the website, and ultimately caused Sony Pictures Entertainment over $600,000 in damages,

assistant U.S. attorney Eric Vandevelde said in court.

The plea agreement is under seal, although Vandevelde said Kretsinger would likely receive substantially less than the 15-year maximum sentence he faces.