Console gamers around the world had their Christmas’ ruined last year after Lizard Squad forced PSN and Xbox Live network outages. The hackers likely deemed the operation as a success, after they were gifted 3000 premium accounts on Kim Dotcom’s upload service Mega, in exchange for peace. However, it seems their latest antics aren’t exactly going to plan.
Earlier in the week, six of Lizard Squad’s clients were taken into custody after it was discovered they hired the hackers to take down corporate websites. The British nationals, aged 15 to 18, sought distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks from the “Lizard Stresser” service, in exchange for virtual crytocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
The teens, from Manchester, Huddersfield, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Stockport have since been released on bail. Two other 18-year-olds were also interviewed but later released.
Companies that were targeted include Microsoft, Amazon and Sony, although Bloomberg reports that the success of the attacks is currently unknown.
Tony Adams, head of investigations at the NCA’s cybercrime unit, says cybercriminals such as the Lizard Squad can cause substantial damage.
“By paying a comparatively small fee, tools like Lizard Stresser can cripple businesses financially and deprive people of access to important information and public services.”
Microsoft declined for Bloomberg’s comments, while Sony and Amazon did not immediately respond.
Source: Bloomberg
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