British hackers who were behind a series of high profile cyber-attacks in 2011 have been sentenced.
The four men, Ryan Cleary, Jake Davis, Mustafa al-Bassam and Ryan Ackroyd, were part of the Lulzsec hacking group.
Cleary was jailed for 32 months, Davis for two years and Ackroyd for 30 months. Al Bassam was given a 20-month suspended sentence.
Targets included Sony Pictures, games maker EA, News International and the UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency.
The actions of the group were "cowardly and vindictive", said Andrew Hadik, a lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service.
"The harm they caused was foreseeable, extensive and intended," he said. "Indeed, they boasted of how clever they were with a complete disregard for the impact their actions had on real people's lives.
"This case should serve as a warning to other cybercriminals that they are not invincible," he said.
Each man filled a different role during their cyber-attack spree. Ackroyd was the ring leader of the small group choosing targets and directing the efforts of the others. Davis acted as its press secretary, Cleary provided the software to carry out attacks and al-Bassam posted stolen data online.
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