LulzSec Hacker Sentenced -- How Dare You Expose 'X Factor' Contestants!!!

breaking news

One of the most prolific hackers of the last decade has just been sentenced ... after breaking into computer systems and stealing a bunch of confidential data relating to more than 70,000 "X Factor" contestants.

30-year-old Hector Monsegur -- a member of the famed LulzSec hacker ring -- was sentenced Tuesday to in New York to time served (7 months) plus one year of supervised release. His sentence was reduced after he helped the Feds nail a bunch of his cohorts.

Monsegur pled guilty in 2011 to computer hacking, conspiracy, fraud, and a bunch of other stuff.

The 2011 "X Factor" job was just one of his crimes -- Monsegur was also involved in cyber attacks on Visa, PayPal, Mastercard, and several foreign government computer systems.

Meanwhile, Simon Cowell is still rich.