A local council in regional NSW has emerged as the supposed target of alleged computer hacker Matthew Flannery, the self-proclaimed leader of the international cyber-crime syndicate Lulzsec, police say.
Mr Flannery, 24, known by the online handle "Aush0k", worked on the Sydney help desk of a multinational cyber-security firm Content Security when he was arrested and charged with three hacking offences against a government agency last month.
Mr Flannery, who has since gained notoriety for his abrasive online persona and YouTube karaoke-singing, faces up to 22 years jail if convicted of the charges.
Although Content Security's clients included state government departments, small banks and law firms, court documents seen by The Australian allege Mr Flannery targeted his attacks on Narrabri Shire Council, in NSW's northwest.
Narrabri mayor Conrad Bolton said he believed ratepayer's data was secure, and that Mr Flannery was suspected of uploading an obscene photograph to the council's homepage.
"As far as I know, and I'm still waiting for a full report back, but that he just flashed some images onto the screen which were inappropriate," he said.
Content Security's spokesman said Narrabri Shire Council was not a client of the company.
"The AFP's own analysis shows 'no evidence at present to suggest any of (Content Security) clients' information was compromised or accessed','' he said.
As Mr Flannery's name was disseminated on the internet last month, webcam videos surfaced of a similar-looking young man identifying himself as Aush0k and taunting rival hackers with vulgar language.
Another video appeared to show the same young man singing Grease song "Summer Nights" in a duet with a female companion.
Lulzsec is a splinter-cell of the Anonymous hacker collective, known for its support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. But Lulzsec operatives are renowned for exploiting security gaps in the websites of organisations for enjoyment, rather than political ends.
Previous attacks on the websites of the US Central Intelligence Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation websites have been attributed to Lulzsec.
The Australian Federal Police have said the alleged hacker's infiltration of the company "presented considerable risk to Australian society".
"The ability to interrupt online trading, online transactions for governments, can have serious consequences in the long term," AFP Cyber Crime Commander Glen McEwen said last month.
