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

Published Aug 25th, 2014 8:30AM EDT
PlayStation Network Status

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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.

Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein Executive Editor

Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 10 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.

His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.