On the information security front, 2012 has featured nonstop takedowns and arrests, breaches and data dumps, and hacktivist-launched distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Early in the year, notably, hackers breached Stratfor, while the FBI arrested alleged Anonymous and LulzSec ringleaders. By year’s end, hacktivists were still out in force — this time supporting Syrian rebels and targeting picket-happy Westboro Baptist Church. In between, there were a plethora of hacks, defacements, leaks, arrests, mass surveillance, privacy violations and numerous other high-profile information security happenings.
Here are the highlights from 2012:

1. Feds Bust Alleged LulzSec, Anonymous Ringleaders.

Hacktivist group LulzSec dominated headlines in 2011 for its 50-day hacking and defacement spree, as well as witty press releases. After those attacks, U.S. and U.K. law enforcement officials began arresting alleged LulzSec participants, many of whom were also accused of participating in attacks launched under the banners of Anonymous and AntiSec. But LulzSec leader Sabu appeared to elude the authorities.
Network Computing