PlayStation Network buckles from massive hacker attack; Xbox could be next target

Sony has confirmed that a massive DDoS attack took down its popular online gaming network this past weekend, leaving millions of gamers out in the cold as they tried to connect to the service. Two different entities, a hacker group called “Lizard Squad” and a lone hacker named “Fame,” both claimed responsibility for the PlayStation Network attack, but an investigation is ongoing. Sony says that no user data was compromised during the attack and PSN service has been fully restored.

“Like other major networks around the world, the PlayStation Network and Sony Entertainment Network have been impacted by an attempt to overwhelm our network with artificially high traffic,” Sony said in a statement. “Although this has impacted your ability to access our network and enjoy our services, no personal information has been accessed.”

Lizard Squad was the first to claim responsibility for the DDoS attack on Sony’s PlayStation Network, during which PSN became unusable because the attack involves saturating servers with an incredibly high volume of connection attempts. The Guardian noted that group is also under investigation following a tweet that mentioned explosives onboard a flight on which Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley was a passenger. The flight had to be diverted following the tweet.

A later tweet from Lizard Squad claimed that Microsoft’s Xbox Live network would be its next target.

Following the Lizard Squad’s initial tweets, rival hacker “Fame” posted on Twitter and claimed responsibility for the PSN attack and criticized Lizard Squad for attempting to take credit for his work.

SOURCE:

THE GUARDIAN