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The hackers behind the PSN and Xbox Live attacks explain why they did it

Published Dec 26th, 2014 10:15AM EST
PSN Xbox Live Attack

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People all over the world tried to enjoy some online gameplay on their new PlayStation and Xbox consoles on Christmas Day, but they couldn’t. Millions more who already had video game consoles and needed a quick escape from their families on Thursday also couldn’t connect to the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live.

Why? Because both networks suffered multiple days of full and partial downtime due to a huge attack from a hacker group called the “Lizard Squad,” and now we know exactly why they did it.

FROM EARLIER: Merry Christmas, from hackers: PlayStation Network and Xbox Live both attacked

As of Friday morning, both PSN and Xbox Live were still suffering from the after effects of huge distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks both networks had been targeted with in previous days.

Here is the message that was posted on Sony’s PSN status page: “We are aware that some users are experiencing difficulty logging into the PSN. We will update this article with any changes that occur in regards to this issue. Thank you for your patience.”

And this statement was given by Microsoft: “Were you having a hard time signing in to Xbox Live? If so, we’re glad to say we’ve reached a solution! You can once again sign in without any issues. Thanks for hanging in there while we worked. We appreciate it!”

Now, the hackers behind the attacks have spoken up in an interview with WinBeta, and they have explained why they attacked both networks.

Sadly, the explanation is painfully simple: They did it “for the laughs.”

The attacks were initially launched just for fun, but one of the hackers says that the group’s motivation eventually shifted from fun to exposing how weak the security is on PSN and Xbox Live. They say they chose Christmas time for the attacks in an effort to anger as many people as possible.

As for other potential targets, the hackers said that they “could take down NASDAQ if they wanted to damage the economy,” but that’s not what they’re hoping to accomplish. At least, not for the time being.

The full interview can be heard by following the link down in our source section.

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.