A computer hacker who helped the US government disrupt hundreds of cyberattacks and cripple the hacktivist crew known as Anonymous will serve no more time in prison after being sentenced to time served.

They’ve hacked the CIA, the Sun newspaper, the Church of Scientology and a host of other large corporations, sparking a global police crackdown. But who and what are Anonymous? A radical new form of activism – or just bored teenagers? Carole Cadwalladr spoke with some of the ‘hacktivists’ and the experts who tracked them down

The FBI has accused two Irish students of being among the ringleaders in one of the world’s most disruptive internet hacking organisations.

A Galway student accused by the FBI of being a founding member of an international hacking splinter group has said he is “frightened” by the prospect of the unfolding investigation.