A 16-year-old and 17-year-old were charged with unauthorised access to a computer with intent to impair the reliability of data, fraud by false representation and unauthorised access to a computer with intent to hinder access to data, police said.

The 16-year-old was also charged with one count of causing a computer to perform a function to secure unauthorised access to a programme, Detective Inspector Michael O'Sullivan said.

Relative newcomers to the crowded digital extortion market, Lapsus$ has stunned and baffled cybersecurity experts in equal measure with its combination of juvenile antics and high-level access to some of the biggest companies in the world.

The hacking group has targeted firms including Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Okta Inc (OKTA.O), an authentication services company relied on by thousands of major businesses.

A spokesperson for the City of London police declined to confirm or deny that the teenagers were charged in connection with the Lapsus$ investigation.

British police do not generally name suspects.

The force said in March it had arrested seven people aged between 16 and 21 following a series of hacks by Lapsus$.