Adrian Lamo

Adrian Lamo (born February 20, 1981[1] in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American threat analyst[2] and former hacker.[3]

Lamo first gained media attention for breaking into several high-profile computer networks, including those of The New York Times, Yahoo!, and Microsoft, culminating in his 2003 arrest.[4] In 2010, Lamo reported U.S. soldier PFC Bradley Manning (now known as Chelsea Manning) to federal authorities, claiming that Manning had leaked hundreds of thousands of sensitive U.S. government documents to WikiLeaks. Manning was arrested and incarcerated in the U.S. military justice system and later sentenced to 35 years in confinement.[5][6]

Contents [hide]

1 Early life and education

2 Activities and legal issues 2.1 Security compromise

2.2 DNA controversy

2.3 WikiLeaks and Manning 2.3.1 Greenwald, Lamo and Wired magazine

2.3.2 Criticism of Anonymous

3 Film and television

4 See also

5 References

6 External links

Early life and education[edit]

Lamo was born in Boston, Massachusetts to Mario Lamo and Mary Atwood in 1981.[1] He does not have a high school diploma.[7][8][9] Lamo got a GED and was ordered by the court[10] to take some classes at American River College, a community college in Sacramento County, California.[11][12] According to Jennifer Kahn of Wired, Lamo was known as the "Homeless Hacker" for his supposedly transient lifestyle.[13] Lamo has claimed that he has spent much of his travels couch-surfing, squatting in abandoned buildings and traveling to Internet cafes, libraries and universities to investigate networks, and sometimes exploiting security holes.[4] Despite performing authorized and unauthorized vulnerability assessments for several large, high-profile entities, Lamo has claimed he refused to accept payment for his services.[14][15][16]

In the mid-1990s, Lamo became a volunteer for the gay and lesbian media firm PlanetOut.com.[14][17] In 1998, Lamo was appointed to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Youth Task Force by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.[18][19]

During this period, in 2001, he overdosed on prescription amphetamines.[1][20]

In a 2004 interview with Wired, an ex-girlfriend of Lamo's described him as "very controlling," stating, "He carried a stun gun, which he used on me." According to the same article, a court issued a restraining order against Lamo.[20] Lamo disputed the accuracy of the article and wrote, "I have never been subject to a restraining order in my life".[21]

Lamo claimed in a Wired article that in May 2010, after reporting his backpack stolen, an investigating officer noted unusual behavior and placed him under a 72-hour involuntary psychiatric hold, which was extended to a nine day hold. Lamo says he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at the psych ward.[22]

As of March 2011, Lamo was allegedly "in hiding," claiming that his "life was under threat" after turning in Manning.[23]

Activities and legal issues[edit]

Lamo first became known for operating AOL watchdog site Inside-AOL.com.[24][25]

Security compromise[edit]

In December 2001, Lamo was praised by Worldcom for helping to fortify their corporate security.[26] In February 2002 he broke into the internal computer network of The New York Times, adding his name to the internal database of expert sources, and using the paper's LexisNexis account to conduct research on high-profile subjects. The New York Times filed a complaint, and a warrant for Lamo's arrest was issued in August 2003 following a 15-month investigation by federal prosecutors in New York. At 10:15 AM on September 9, after spending a few days in hiding, he surrendered to the US Marshals in Sacramento, California. He re-surrendered to the FBI in New York City on September 11, and pled guilty to one felony count of computer crimes against Microsoft, LexisNexis and The New York Times on January 8, 2004.[27][28]

Later in 2004, Lamo was sentenced to six months detention at his parents' home plus two years probation, and was ordered to pay roughly $65,000 in restitution. He was convicted of compromising security at The New York Times and Microsoft,[29][30] Yahoo![31] and WorldCom.[32]

When challenged for a response to allegations that he was glamorizing crime for the sake of publicity, his response was "Anything I could say about my person or my actions would only cheapen what they have to say for themselves". When approached for comment during his criminal case, Lamo frustrated reporters with non sequiturs such as "Faith manages",[33] (probably a reference to science fiction television show Babylon 5) and "It's a beautiful day."[34]

At his sentencing, Lamo expressed remorse for harm he had caused through his intrusions, with the court record quoting him as adding "I want to answer for what I have done and do better with my life."[35]

DNA controversy[edit]

On May 9, 2006, while 18 months into a two-year probation sentence, Lamo refused to give the United States government a blood sample, one that they had demanded in order to record his DNA in their CODIS system.[36] According to his attorney, Lamo has a religious objection to giving blood, but is willing to give his DNA in another form. On June 15, 2007, lawyers for Lamo filed a motion citing the Book of Genesis as one basis for Lamo's religious opposition to the giving of blood.

On June 21, 2007, it was reported that Lamo's legal counsel had reached a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice granting Lamo's original request. According to Kevin Poulsen's blog, "the Justice Department formally settled the case, filing a joint stipulation along with Lamo's federal public defender dropping the demand for blood, and accepting cheek swabs instead." Reached for comment, Lamo reportedly affirmed to Poulsen his intention to "comply vigorously" with the order.[37]

WikiLeaks and Manning[edit]

...