Playstation and Xbox networks both hit on Christmas

A group called Lizard Squad claimed credit for taking them down, with no reason given

(Updated with comment from Microsoft)

How was everyone's Christmas? I hope you all got what you wanted. I got a new set of weight from my girlfriend (which means I have no excuse not to get  back in shape !), a few giftcards and a bunch of DVD box sets I'd been wanting to buy. All in all, a good haul.

Not everyone had a good Christmas, though, as Microsoft's Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network both went down on Christmas Day. It was a worst-case scenario both the companies and their users.

So what happened exactly? The companies were specifically hit by a group called “Lizard Squad," which took credit for the hackings on Twitter on Thursday.

Though they have since been taken down, Business Insider has provided the text of some of the group's tweets that went up throughout the day, including the following:

• If this tweet gets 5k RTS within 2min, we will stop hitting #Xbox and #PSN GO!

— Lizard Squad (@FUCKCRUCIFIX) December 25, 2014

We are aware that some users are reporting issues accessing PSN this morning. Thanks for your patience as we investigate.

— Ask PlayStation (@AskPlayStation) December 25, 2014

We're aware users are having issues logging into XBL & are actively working to resolve. Please visit https://t.co/99xfLNN0o8 for updates ^JX

— Xbox Support (1-5) (@XboxSupport) December 25, 2014

No clear reason was given for Lizard Squad's attack on the two networks, and whether or not this has anything to do with all of the other business going on at Sony right now, though the group did also take credit for an attack on Playstation that occured last week.

As of this writing, both networks still appear to either down completely (in the case of Playstation) or still operating on a limited scale (as Xbox is).

“Yesterday, some users were unable to sign in to Xbox Live. Our teams worked quickly to resolve the issue, and Xbox Live core services have been restored," a Microsoft spokesperson told VatorNews.

Hackings

This is not the first time that either of these companies have been hacked this year. 

In January, Skype, which is owned by Microsoft, was hit by the Syrian Electronic Army. The group used the opportunity to accuse Microsoft of spying on its users, and then selling user information to government officials. The company was also hacked in 2013, when some of its computers were infected with malicious software..

Sony, however, has it worse, by far. In fact, I think it would be fair to say that the company is getting awfully sick of its network being illegally authorized.

In 2011, the Playstation Network was attacked, causing it to shut down for nearly a month. It affected 45 million users, and  reportedly cost the company $171 million. 

As you know, the company's film division suffered  a major breach in late November that exposed Sony executives to be petty, snarky and just a wee bit racist. Salaries of both stars and executives were released, as were scripts and even some completed movies.

Then things got real, when Sony gave into over vague threats of violence sent over by a dictator living halfway across the world, when it allowed  to get out of playing The Interview, a movie which openly mocks Kim Jung-un. The act was seen as so cowardly that even the President of the United States publicly called them out on it.

Sony did eventually release it into some theaters, as well as on demand. But the damage has already been done. 

So let's just say that the last thing Sony needed right now was yet another example of how vulnerable its security is, and how it has still not solved the problems that have been plaguing it for years at this point. 

(Image source: tacticalgaming.net)