PlayStation Network and Xbox Live members have had a few eccentric weeks since both the online services were hacked by a group called Lizard Squad causing server downtime across the platforms. However, the FBI is currently investigating the situation.
The Lizard Squad earlier threatened to take down PSN and Xbox Live last year, and then went ahead and acted on the threat with a massive and carefully executed DDoS attack. The hack has since taken a toll on all and is currently under investigation, the FBI has confirmed.
The hacker group has formed quite a notorious aura around themselves. Sure the entire DDoS attack on gaming networks may not be that big a deal, but it is still quite bothersome for many. In fact, the group has previously performed such calculated attacks in the past on the networks, but this one comes as the biggest of them all.
"The FBI is investigating the matter," a spokesperson for the bureau told GamesBeat on questioning. "Given the pending nature of the case, we cannot comment further." Nonetheless, Lizard Squad is pretending that it doesn't really care about the situation, and that was evident from its recent post on Twitter that just mentioned the word "yawn" (being overtly sarcastic and not caring much).
"DDoS attacks are illegal if they cause a certain amount of damage. With Sony and Microsoft unable to sell digital games through their online stores during their outages, Lizard Squad's actions would qualify for a criminal case. That does not even take into account the repairs and maintenance Sony and Microsoft may have needed to get their Web services back up online," the GamesBeat reported.
Earlier, the Lizard Squad had even issued a bomb threat against a certain commercial flight earlier this year with SOE president John Smedley on board, hinting that these guys are capable of performing more than just gaming network hacks.
Well, issuing a bomb threat and hacking a gaming network are two entirely different ball games, but these guys are adamant at trying out their hands on both. Hopefully, more details will arrive on the situation in the next few days.
