psn hack Archives - PSX Extreme

Sony Defending Against PSN Hackers “Literally Every Day”

Ben-Dutka March 7, 2015 PS4 9 Comments

Over the Christmas break, hackers attacked the PlayStation Network and brought it to its knees for several days.

But really, attacks aren't uncommon. In fact, they're a daily occurrence.

So says Sony boss Shuhei Yoshida, who told Game Informer this past week that it's a never-ending battle. While they continue to work to improve the system's stability and security, the hackers just never stop:

"We are always always working against these attacks," he said. "Actually, an attack happens every day. Literally every day. Some days are bigger and some days smaller. Some days they devise new means, new ways–it's like cat and mouse. We have a partner company we work with, and we always update the new ways the attacker might deploy; so it is a constant battle."

If you're into the world of cyber-security, you probably already knew this. Huge services like the PSN are constant targets; I often wonder how many attacks are leveled against the likes of eBay and Amazon on a daily basis. The more you learn about it, the less secure you feel.

Suspected PSN Attackers Lizard Squad Hacked…Funny

Ben-Dutka January 21, 2015 Archive 13 Comments

C'mon, this is just plain amusing.

As we all know, hacker group Lizard Squad was supposedly the culprit for the PSN/Xbox Live DDoS attacks over the holidays.

Since then, they've been the target of an FBI investigation, which has already yielded several arrests. And now, it seems the hackers just got hacked. After promoting its "boot-for-hire" service, which lets customers submit a nominal fee for a website they'd like the Squad to take down, the attackers suddenly find themselves on the defensive…and very much exposed.

That Lizard Squad Stresser tool was itself hacked, and an unsolicited user snagged details of the entire roster of 14,241 people who signed up for the service. Investigative journalist Brian Krebs got a copy of the data dump and realized that very few precautions were taken to protect the identity of those customers:

"All registered usernames and passwords were stored in plain text."

Is anyone really surprised? Those who run something like Lizard Squad don't care about anybody and that includes their customers (regardless of what those customers might think). They're also not omnipotent, which they typically believe they are right from the get-go. Let's see, what have they said about these FBI investigations? "Yawn" and "They'll never arrest the King Lizard."

Doesn't look that way. And now you got hacked. And it's funny .

Get Your 10% Off A PSN Purchase This Coming Weekend

Ben-Dutka January 19, 2015 PS4 7 Comments

Things didn't go well for the PlayStation Network over the holidays.

But as a thank you for sticking with the service during the tough time, Sony previously announced a 10 percent discount.

At the time, however, they didn't provide us with any details, such as a start date. Now we've got them, as announced over at the PlayStation Blog . The 10 percent discount deal will run from 9:00 a.m. PST on January 23 through 9:00 a.m. on January 26. You'll get a one-time promotion code and it can be used on all "eligible items," which we assume will be just about anything on the PSN.

Furthermore, for those Plus members impacted by the service fiasco, they've started to roll out the 5-day Plus membership extension. You don't have to do anything; you'll just receive an email confirming the details of that extension.

Is this appreciated or do you think Sony should've done more? …or do you think they weren't obligated to do anything?

Another Arrest Made In Connection With Holiday DDoS Attacks

Ben-Dutka January 16, 2015 PS4 14 Comments

The investigation surrounding the DDoS attacks that crippled Xbox Live and especially the PlayStation Network over the holidays continues.

Now, an 18-year-old in Southport, a seaside town in Merseyside, England, has been arrested as part of that investigation.

He's being held "on suspicion of unauthorized access to computer material, unauthorized access with intent to commit further offenses, and 'threats to kill.'" The Thames Valley Police confirmed with GameSpot that this arrest is in connection with the aforementioned DDoS attacks. There's also suspicion of "swatting," where someone makes a phony emergency call to police.

Authorities seized plenty of "electronic and digital devices," which will be examined by forensics units. Said SEROCU Cyber Crime Unit boss Craig Jones:

"This investigation is a good example of joint law enforcement cooperation in relation to a type of criminality that is not restricted by any geographical boundaries.

We are still at the early stages of the investigation and there is still much work to be done. We will continue to work closely with the FBI to identify those to who commit offences and hold them to account."

This doesn't help my belief that these perpetrators are just sad little pimply-faced losers sitting at home, thinking they'll change the world by being cyber criminals. Have they even arrested anyone over the age of 20 for this crap yet? Yeah, figures.

FBI Officially Investigating Lizard Squad For PSN, Live Attacks

Ben-Dutka December 30, 2014 PS4 14 Comments

It probably won't amount to much but at least there's an investigation.

According to a VentureBeat report , hacker group Lizard Squad is officially under investigation for the DDoS attacks that took the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live offline over the Christmas holiday.

As a spokesperson said:

The FBI is investigating the matter. Given the pending nature of the case, we cannot comment further."

DDoS attacks are definitely illegal if they cause a certain amount of chaos, and that's pretty much what happened. Most gamers weren't able to get online or access any digital services from the PlayStation and Xbox servers, and problems still persist for the PSN. As for Lizard Squad, they apparently don't care:

Funny. That's my response whenever such groups pull these stunts.

Hackers Get SOE President Smedley’s Flight Rerouted

Ben-Dutka August 24, 2014 Archive 8 Comments

Do the people responsible for these things ever grow up?

Over the weekend, Sony confirmed it was the victim of a DDoS (Denial of Service) attack, similar to the one that took down the PlayStation Network back in 2011. No personal information was accessed, but it did hinder the PSN's services.

Then, a bomb threat sent in – by the same hacker group, apparently – rerouted a flight carrying Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley. As reported by Polygon , the group in question Tweeted that they've been receiving reports about "explosives on-board the flight." Smedley later confirmed that his flight was being diverted to Phoenix, Arizona:

"Something about the security and our cargo. Sitting on Tarmack."

Let's just say that with such wackjobs out there, I've got no interest in sharing a flight with anyone in Smedley's line of work.