Published on 01:59 PM, December 27, 2014

Xbox, PlayStation tackle cyber attacks

Xbox, PlayStation tackle cyber attacks

The photo is taken from BBC.

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 its live core services were "limited". Meanwhile, PlayStation network remained offline, asking its users "for patience".

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.

A message posted to the Xbox status page said services were "limited".

Meanwhile, PlayStation wrote on Twitter: "We are working to restore full network services for all platforms - thanks, as always, for your patience!"

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.

Ian Hornby, from Lancashire, spent a frustrating time trying to connect a new PlayStation to the Sony network, and said he hoped that the electronics giant would now invest in better protection for its systems.