PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Knocked Offline

Posted on December 27, 2014

The PlayStation Network and Xbox Live have both been offline during hacking attacks over the holidays. The hack comes at a time when many hackers are trying out new games they received for Christmas. DDoS attacks were used by the hackers to bring down the networks by overwhelming them with requests.

Bloomberg reports that a hacker group named Lizard Squad has taken credit for the attack. Kim Dotcom offered the hacker group premium MegaPrivacy vouchers in return for them ceasing the attacks in a tweet. This appeared to work at least temporarily but problems on both gaming networks continue today.

Sony told gamers in a statement, "If you received a PlayStation console over the holidays and have been unable to log onto the network, know that this problem is temporary and is not caused by your game console."

The Xbox Live network recovered yesterday but VentureBeat reports that the network's problems returned today. Microsoft says on its Xbox Live status page that the network only has limited availability.

It is not clear if the attack is connected to the major Sony hack. The Interview has been shown in some theaters after Sony reconsidered its initial plan to remove the film. Microsoft has nothing to do with The Interview so the attack on the gaming networks appears to be unrelated to the Sony hack.