- Dec 30, 2012
- 4,809
If anyone in your house plans to do some online multiplayer gaming during the holidays, here's a heads-up. Hackers have issued a threat to knock both Xbox Live and Sony's Playstation Network offline.
This is nothing new, of course. Two years ago, the group known as Lizard Squad took down PSN in early December. They struck a second time on Christmas Eve, saying they chose that day because "it would anger and reach the largest amount of people." In 2015, they were back and threatening to do it all over again.
Now, a new group claiming to have risen from the ashes of Lizard Squad is saying that they're going to launch an attack this year. They call themselves R.I.U. Star Patrol, and they claim to only be motivated by "the lulz."
Interestingly, their official @starpatrolling Twitter account appears to have been taken offline this morning -- as does the@ANTIPEACESP account, which reportedly belonged to the group's leader.
Even if that means things aren't going quite as planned for Star Patrol, don't go ruling out a holiday DDoS targetting XBL and PSN just yet. There are no doubt plenty of copycats who are willing to pull the trigger.
At one point in time, launching a DDoS attack required a considerable amount of effort. Today, however, it can be done with point-and-click ease. No real hacking skill is required, and you don't need an army of other hackers to help you out.
All you need is the ability to find the right Dark Web marketplace and enough smarts to make a Bitcoin payment. Botnet controllers simply rent you the firepower you need and schedule attacks according to your particulars.
This is nothing new, of course. Two years ago, the group known as Lizard Squad took down PSN in early December. They struck a second time on Christmas Eve, saying they chose that day because "it would anger and reach the largest amount of people." In 2015, they were back and threatening to do it all over again.
Now, a new group claiming to have risen from the ashes of Lizard Squad is saying that they're going to launch an attack this year. They call themselves R.I.U. Star Patrol, and they claim to only be motivated by "the lulz."
Interestingly, their official @starpatrolling Twitter account appears to have been taken offline this morning -- as does the@ANTIPEACESP account, which reportedly belonged to the group's leader.
Even if that means things aren't going quite as planned for Star Patrol, don't go ruling out a holiday DDoS targetting XBL and PSN just yet. There are no doubt plenty of copycats who are willing to pull the trigger.
At one point in time, launching a DDoS attack required a considerable amount of effort. Today, however, it can be done with point-and-click ease. No real hacking skill is required, and you don't need an army of other hackers to help you out.
All you need is the ability to find the right Dark Web marketplace and enough smarts to make a Bitcoin payment. Botnet controllers simply rent you the firepower you need and schedule attacks according to your particulars.
