A COMPUTER help-desk clerk has been accused of manipulating confidential government data, amid revelations he is the self-confessed ringleader of shadowy hacking syndicate Lulzsec that previously undermined the CIA and FBI websites, federal police allege.

NSW Central Coast resident Matthew Flannery, 24 -- allegedly known as "Aush0k" -- was arrested with the assistance of his Sydney employer on Tuesday and is facing three charges of computer hacking that could land him a total jail term of 22 years.

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