Battle.net stabilizes after DDoS attack, but "Lizard Squad" hackers remain active

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A group calling itself "Lizard Squad" launched a series of DDoS attacks against gaming services including Battle.net, Sony Online Entertainment and League of Legends over the weekend, and even used a bomb threat to divert an American Airlines flight carrying SOE President John Smedley. It appears that all is now well with Battle.net, but it sounds like the people behind the attacks aren't done just yet.

Blizzard customer support announced yesterday afternoon that the DDoS attacks that had caused so much trouble appeared to be winding down. "Services appear to be stabilizing. We'll continue to keep an eye out," it tweeted . "Queues should stabilize as more folks log back in."

But while Battle.net was getting back on its feet, the " Lizard Squad " hackers implied earlier today that it had launched a new attack on Xbox Live. "Let's test this new equipment shall we?" it tweeted. "How's Xbox Live doing?" Later, it wrote, "Currently planting flag in XBL's upstream with an AK47 #ISIS #jihad #IS."

The legitimacy of the claims can't be verified, but Smedley suggested that the matter is being taken seriously, tweeting, "Yes. My plane was diverted. Not going to discuss more than that. Justice will find these guys." But he also cautioned against giving the group more credit than it deserves.

"I wish the national media would stop letting these DDOS trolls occasional use of the ISIS crap be taken seriously," he tweeted . "Seeing news accounts that make it sounds like that's serious. Media please don't get trolled. Those ISIS guys are pure evil and shouldn't be conflated with trolls."

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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