Adrian Lamo, best known as the computer hacker who exposed Army whistleblower Chelsea (then Bradley) Manning, died Friday at the age of 37.
Lamo's father announced the news in a Facebook post, and the cause of death remains unclear.
"With great sadness and a broken heart I have to let know all of Adrian’s friends and acquaintances that he is dead," Mario Lamo wrote. "A bright mind and compassionate soul is gone, he was my beloved son."
A spokeswoman for Sedgwick county regional forensic center said that an autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of death.
Police official confirmed to me Adrian Lamo, @6, was found dead by officers on March 14th at around 4pm. His body was found in his apartment along the 4900 block of East Shadybrook in Wichita, Kansas. The coroner is investigating, but “there is nothing suspicious about his death”
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) March 16, 2018
Lamo, known as the "homeless hacker" for his often transient lifestyle, first made waves in 2002 when he broke into the New York Times' intranet, where he added his name to a database of expert sources and then used their LexisNexis account to research high profile subjects. He pleaded guilty, paid a fine and was sentenced to six months of home detention.

In a subsequent inteview with NBC to discuss the Times hack, Lamo was booted off the show by network lawyers after he cracked into NBC's servers.
Lamo says NBC was taping him at Kinko's while he demonstrated security holes in a telecommunications company's systems, when the interviewer asked him if he'd be successful hacking NBC.
Five minutes and one guessed password later and Lamo was surfing the television network's private messaging system and an affiliate scheduling application that included internal memos and information on advertising rates. Screen shots of the hack provided by Lamo and reviewed by SecurityFocus Online include a page from an NBC vendor database with the network's trademark "living color" peacock and the warning, "All information contained on this Web site is to be held in the strictest confidence," in all capital letters. "It was a very full service system," recalls Lamo. -SecurityFocus.com (2002)
Lamo's most infamous act, however, was dropping the dime on Chelsea Manning after the two had engaged in a private chat in which Lamo gained Manning's trust.
(10:22:24 AM) bradass87: uhm, trying to keep a low profile for now though, just a warning
(10:23:34 AM) info@adrianlamo.com: I’m a journalist and a minister. You can pick either, and treat this as a confession or an interview (never to be published) & enjoy a modicum of legal protection.
(10:24:07 AM) bradass87: assange level?
(10:25:12 AM) bradass87: or are you socially engineering ;P
(10:25:51 AM) info@adrianlamo.com: You must not have done your research 😛
(10:25:57 AM) info@adrianlamo.com: I could have flipped for the FBI.
(10:26:05 AM) info@adrianlamo.com: Gotten a sweeter deal.
During the chat, Manning revealed how he had transferred sensitive information onto a commercial server and uploaded it to WikiLeaks after communicating with Julian Assange. Lomo took advantage of the fact that Manning was emotionally unhinged, and continued to pump him for information - which he then gave to the FBI, which he says he did because he believed "lives were in danger."
There was no option to interdict just the documents and put him merely in touch with counseling. There was no way to be both kind to Bradley and mindful of the potential for harm to people I had never known and would never know which the situation posed. The reader might think there was some more moderate choice that I overlooked but I looked closely, and no such choice existed. -Adrian Lamo
Lamo was shunned by the hacking community after turning Manning in, and was labeled a snitch.
Unsurprisingly, Julian Assange wasn't too broken up about Lamo's death, tweeting "Coroner says serial FBI snitch Adrian Lamo is dead. Lamo, a fake journalist, petty conman & betrayer of basic human decency, promised alleged source @xychelsea journalistic protection, friendship and support, then sold him to the FBI."
Coroner says serial FBI snitch Adrian Lamo is dead. Lamo, a fake journalist, petty conman & betrayer of basic human decency, promised alleged source @xychelsea journalistic protection, friendship and support, then sold him to the FBI. https://t.co/SkvbrG7Kyn pic.twitter.com/vZMyJhRWCW
— Julian Assange ⌛ (@JulianAssange) March 16, 2018
— Julian Assange ⌛ (@JulianAssange) March 16, 2018
Lamo's death has received a variety of responses:
Fuck you Adrian Lamo, snitch https://t.co/RPPhJ0NXBD
— J0RD∆N (@_comlag91) March 16, 2018
Adrian Lamo has died - he was a central figure in @Suzi3D's piece, #BeingJulianAssange.
— Elizabeth Lea Vos (@ElizabethleaVos) March 16, 2018
The circumstances of his death have not been reported as yet. The timing is more than a little bit suspect IMHO.
Read about the history of Lamo's betrayal ->https://t.co/eu2JATClun pic.twitter.com/KupUO61y3r
My buddy Adrian @6 Lamo has passed. We havent had much recent contact but in the early 00's he would crash on my couch for weeks or months at a time. He was a troubled guy, but I prefer to remember him the way I said in this '02 Wired article. Godspeed @6 https://t.co/b4n6xDFSjh pic.twitter.com/Lo1EtvQ2pK
— Stephen A. Ridley (@s7ephen) March 16, 2018
I didn't expect to read this news about Adrian Lamo passing away today.https://t.co/aDmmZYj1O2
— Kevin Mitnick (@kevinmitnick) March 16, 2018
Ding, dong the snitch is dead. Which old snitch? The bitchy snitch!https://t.co/0smK5Dot01
— Barrett Brown (@BarrettBrown_) March 16, 2018
good riddance Adrian Lamo, you sack of shit
— Nyx 朔望 Land (@realNickLand) March 16, 2018
Comments
'Swatted'...
Deep State and their sources begin turning on themselves.
In reply to † by Déjà view
Look at the pics "then and now". Looks like he suffered from the consequences of outing Manning.
In reply to Deep State and their sources… by y3maxx
He looks like he got mixed up in the same MK Ultra gang that churned out James Holmes of Aurora theatre fame.
In reply to Look at the pics "then and… by Dutti
Snitches get stitches (or worse).
Musta run out of souls to sell. .gov hates that.
In reply to He looks like he got mixed… by the artist
Beloved son and FBI snitch.
fuck him.
In reply to Snitches by toady
The storm is here. Anyone who did dirty tricks for the Deep State would be wise to silently disappear without a word because the loose ends are being 'cleaned up'.
In reply to Beloved son and FBI snitch… by Richard Chesler
FYI, this is what a proper assassination looks like.
In reply to The storm is here. Anyone… by DeadFred
Looks like "he had trouble breathing."
Q anon's second Boom?
Anyone consider that zerohedge articles get as many views as Jimmy Fallon's bullshit on YouTube?
Google "trending" videos up for days with only a couple hundred thousand views in the top 50, but Pewdiepie, or Louder with Crowder, can clear 500k in hours?
Americans are waking up to getting fucked.
In reply to FYI, this is what a proper… by tmosley
The great democratization of information has begun. The war to end all wars has also begun.
In reply to Looks like "he had trouble… by D503
Manning wanted to be "outed" in more ways than one. Anything you say can and will be used against you.
In reply to The great democratization of… by the artist
Exactly this trending thing on YouTube is getting more and more strange, how can a video with 300k in views stay on the trending page for 3 freaking days, how?
In reply to Looks like "he had trouble… by D503
Public perception is being (((managed)))
There's your answer.
In reply to Exactly this trending thing… by DuckDog
Critical mass in 3, 2, 1!
In reply to Looks like "he had trouble… by D503
About that "great mind and compassionate soul"... I don't think so ! A great mind wouldn't have turned Manning in. Payback is a bitch...
In reply to Looks like "he had trouble… by D503
Glossu Rabban
In reply to FYI, this is what a proper… by tmosley
your right
In reply to Glossu Rabban by ali-ali-al-qomfri
Yep, the Skripal hit in London was a loose end, too.
He was mixed up in the Christopher Steele yarn.
Bad move and he should have known better after spending so much time in the business.
Looks more like a Langley bungle up than a Ruskie hit although it could go either way.
All these morons who work with the Deep State for any amount of money need to take note and bail.
For some reason the DS is able to convince them of great payoffs and safety.
Every one of them is sure that he or she is safe.
They may get the payoffs but it won't do them much good once they have outlived their usefulness.
Even a small amount of information is too much and can attract heat to the schemers, so the moron assets have to get whacked.
In reply to The storm is here. Anyone… by DeadFred
My $ in on Langley. In this day and age to think the Russians are going to employ this kind of technique for a low level assassination that would lead directly back to them...It does not pass the smell test.
World turns on Trump
World turns on Russia
World finds out both are innocent
USA and Russia begin working together to find the real perp.
Marxists everywhere scurry under rocks.
In reply to Yep, that Ruskie in London… by fleur de lis
I agree that it is more likely Langley in a panic and trying to clean up their mess because they never factored in the possibility of getting found out.
So now the wet workers are on overtime trying to stay one step ahead, and they are getting sloppy.
But I leave things open since we will not find out what really happened even if the screwballs at the top figure it out.
In reply to My $ in on Langley. In this… by the artist
Revisionist historical accuracy.
Now "Bradley Manning" is being rewritten as "Chelsea Manning" in events prior to his "transformation".
In reply to My $ in on Langley. In this… by the artist
No drama, Llamo loved to choke himself during those all-too frequent self-abuse sessions!
In reply to My $ in on Langley. In this… by the artist
Did it appeal to you when Khadafi died and Hillary did a victory dance? I came, I saw, He died.
Assange would do well not to do these dances. The human condition is complicated.
..........and the hit in England could not go either way. I would give you odds 99:1 this was CIA hit. Why would the Russians complicate a hit by using some whizbang chemical when a gun goes cap cap cap and done.
In reply to Yep, that Ruskie in London… by fleur de lis
Def agree that Assange is in a delicate position.
The english situation is one of the two, of that we can be sure due to the agent involved takes Central State laboratory to Synth.
In reply to Did it appeal to you when… by DownWithYogaPants
If US or UK intelligence wanted Assange, they'd have him. And those guys do not fuck up by accident.
In reply to Def agree that Assange is in… by the artist
No, Khadafi's death did not appeal to me at all, nor did all the Langley sponsored carnage that followed.
Langley is jam packed full of .gov psychopaths, .gov serial killers/wet workers, and .gov schemers.
The thing is that this Skripal moron has been double crossing the wrong people for a long time, and any one of them could have been in on it.
It could have been the Deep State and it could have been the local cocaine dealer getting even with him for stealing.
By now he has a long list of enemies.
And yes, Langley is getting worse by the day, the place must be full of losers.
All I am saying is that we don't know although I agree with your suspicions.
As for Assange he needs to be careful since he is also dealing with .gov serial killers.
In reply to Did it appeal to you when… by DownWithYogaPants
Nonsense --- it is well and good to celebrate one less jackhole on the planet --- I'll dance whenever a Bush, Clinton, Trump or Rockefeller or Truesdale dies.
In reply to Did it appeal to you when… by DownWithYogaPants
In the immortal words of Five-0, Loose Ends Get Hit. Guess he missed that episode.
In reply to The storm is here. Anyone… by DeadFred
Sometimes the vital Lynch Pins get hit too.
Nick Spero of Circus Maximus fame died on March 11th 2018.
RIP, Nick.
America's Opioid Epidemic
Live Hard, Fate, Bad Juju Good Karma Or A Deep State Take Out? .... Beware Of Evil Big Pharma And US Army (CIA) Bio Weapons Lab Products, Die Free
~ DC v8.8
In reply to In the immortal words of… by JustPastPeacefield
Administrative move within the organization to work in hells kitchen. The last chef must have burnt some toast.
In reply to Snitches by toady
You rang?
In reply to Administrative move within… by DillyDilly
Where is “Putin” “Russians” etc. in this story. Deep state proof readers are slipping but give it ten more minutes.
”Bernstein fix this shit now, call NBC, get Madcow on the phone right now.”
In reply to Snitches by toady
Looks like he got mixed up in chunky chocolate chip ice cream!
Glorious!
In reply to He looks like he got mixed… by the artist
Looks like a chew.
In reply to Look at the pics "then and… by Dutti
I smell a conspiracy about to be talked about...........
In reply to Deep State and their sources… by y3maxx
Russians did it in the parlor with nerve gas. Clue game
In reply to I smell a conspiracy about… by xavi1951
( lamo ?) LMAO
{{what is sissyfag article of clothing hanging on door behind LMAO's shoulder ?}}
In reply to Russians did it in the… by SoDamnMad
Is he really dead? 6 feet under or underground?
In reply to LMAO by SethPoor
Clue game. Barry did it in the bath house with AIDS.
In reply to Russians did it in the… by SoDamnMad
Fuck that tranny traitor and all his followers.
In reply to Deep State and their sources… by y3maxx
yes, russians did it, putin fed him cheeseburgers till death XD
In reply to † by Déjà view
Those were some mean comments, following someone’s death at 37 of yet-to-be-disclosed causes. Why did someone so young die? Strange.
People are not being fair to him, treating all hacking as if has the same pristine, altruistic and responsible motives. All hackers and leakers are not Mother Theresa, saving the global people.
Life is not that simple; life is not a liberal Hollywood movie.
There is another side to that story. I have read about it.
Lamo was a naturalized citizen. He probably felt extra pressure to turn it in since Manning carelessly leaked stuff with no filter at all, even though the information directly revealed things that could endanger the lives of US troops and the citizens of other countries, working for the CIA.
Who are US troops? They are a bunch of young guys, mostly in their late teens to mid twenties. The military is their first job in many cases. Do you really think it is right to put them in extra danger, more than they already take on by military service?
Whatever you think of the CIA—all of those Americans might not be angels—you can bet your bottom dollar that the terrorists who behead journalists & aid workers, burn downed pilots to death in cages and commit mass murder without batting an eyelash are not...nice...people, no matter how anti-USA they are.
It is super-naïve to think they are.
It does not sound like Snowden, a highly trained technical expert, revealed the information that he leaked as a whistleblower so carelessly, subjecting people to danger.
He did it through journalists, making them use strict offline methods to transfer information, the methods that offer the most cybersecurity. They took all kinds of pains to do it that way. That is not the same thing as just throwing it all out there, heedless of who gets hurt by it.
Assange often does good work, but he is not infallible anymore than anyone else. He is brave.
It was Manning who leaked the information, not Assange. From what I read, Lamo felt sorry for Manning due to his unhappiness, but he felt like he might be [implicated] if he did not tell on him since he understood the magnitude of the leak.
In reply to † by Déjà view
I dont give a shit if he was a hacker or an auto mechanic...he is a snitch. Now he is dead. "Thanks for your input".
The more young people learn the truth about what it is they are signing up for the fewer will sign up. no mandate, fewer wars, fewer deaths of actual innocent people.
Ever think of that?
In reply to Those were some mean… by Endgame Napoleon
Double espionage is a hazardous business. People who do it are at risk of revenge from both (or all) sides and usually come to a sticky end.
In reply to I dont give a shit if he was… by the artist
Napoleon, thank you for your thoughtful and thought inspiring comments.
In reply to Those were some mean… by Endgame Napoleon
Like this one...
"Whatever you think of the CIA—all of those Americans might not be angels—you can bet your bottom dollar that the terrorists who behead journalists & aid workers, burn downed pilots to death in cages and commit mass murder without batting an eyelash are not...nice...people, no matter how anti-USA they are."
I see, the Americans, who may not be angels...but..., meddle in the affairs of sovereign nations, creating terrorists where none existed, arming terrorists, funding terrorists through drug trafficking, launder terrorist $ etc. etc. etc...
But the people they pay to do their dirty work are "not...nice...people" and when someone has the balls to out them for some of this nefarious activity they are somehow anti-american.
I get the Grand Chessboard argument but ALL of it can be accomplished with Liberty in mind. We do not need to be engaged in all of this Dark shit that is designed to enrich a few and deprive you, me and the future world our Liberty.
Whatever I think of the CIA...what bullshit. You do not want to know what I think of them.
In reply to Thank you for your… by Dutti
In the end a snitch is a snitch no matter how you want to sugar coat it.
In reply to Those were some mean… by Endgame Napoleon
It is super naive to think people would not want revenge for invading their country and killing their wives, children and friends. Let some commie chink, wodka swiller, or goat fucking invader slaughter your family...then see how your respond! Death to traitors, and rats!
In reply to Those were some mean… by Endgame Napoleon
"Make Kaput what makes you Kaput"
Note left in a burning bank in Berlin.
In reply to It is super naive to think… by UmbilicalMosqu…
Unfortunately your voice of reason, moderation and compassion will be drowned out here, and down-voted to the 7th circle of hell.
In reply to Those were some mean… by Endgame Napoleon
Pagination