This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30602609
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 4 | Version 5 |
---|---|
Xbox and PlayStation tackle cyber attacks | |
(about 9 hours later) | |
Microsoft and Sony have been working to restore internet platforms for their Xbox and PlayStation gamers' consoles. | |
Attacks disabled the online services on Christmas Day making it difficult for users to log on. | |
A message on the Xbox status page on Friday said that live core services were "up and running". Meanwhile, PlayStation said its engineers were continuing to work on "network issues". | |
A hacking group called Lizard Squad claimed to have caused the problems. | |
The name is the same used by a group of hackers that has targeted Sony in the past. | |
There are 48 million subscribers to Microsoft's system for the Xbox and more than double that for the PlayStation system, which has some 110 million. | |
Core services | |
To make the most of the Xbox and PlayStation consoles, players have to connect to the internet in order to reach the console manufacturers computer servers. | |
The outage has stopped people accessing some of the core services, such as registering a new account, connecting with other people to play the same game and connecting to entertainment channels via the console. | |
Video games analyst Guy Cocker said Xbox and PlayStation had been hit with a DDOS, or distributed denial of service attack, rather than more sophisticated attacks on Sony seen in the past. | |
Earlier this month Sony was hit by a hacking attack that stole huge amounts of data from its servers. | |
A connection between Sony movie The Interview, about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, and the service disruptions has not been confirmed. | |
The disruption did mean that many families were unable to enjoy their new Christmas presents. | |
Ros Bruce, from Essex, said her 10-year-old son got an Xbox One for Christmas, had spent most of the day in tears, and called for Xbox to provide compensation. | |
Have you had technical problems with your Xbox or PlayStation? You can share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | |
If you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist please leave a contact number. | |
Have your say |