Sony hacking: the story that never dies. Sony's network security has morphed into a case study of discombobulation and chaos -- unified under the massive field of learning known as "Sony hack." To illustrate: North Korea denies a righteous hack, the PlayStation Network goes down, a hacker group known as "Lizard Squad" promises gamers an interesting Christmas.
In IT Blogwatch, bloggers read a story that never ends.
Filling in for our humble blogwatcher Richi Jennings, is a humbler Stephen Glasskeys.
Kahyun Yang and Jim Finkle like 'hang ten' and report a righteous hack bro:
The Pyongyang government's state-run media said the cyber attack on Sony's Hollywood studio may have been the work of pro-North Korean supporters [and] dismissed charges that the country itself was to blame as "wild rumor."
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"The hacking...might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK in response to its appeal," the article by the KCNA news agency said, using the official DPRK acronym for North Korea. MORE
Jordan Robertson, Dune Lawrence and Chris Strohm relax in five-star digs:
The computer hackers drilled into the network at the elegant St. Regis Bangkok...and, with a keystroke, laid bare the secrets of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
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What had begun with a secret incursion into the Hollywood studio's computer system was reaching its climax in, of all places, a five-star hotel in the capital of Thailand. MORE
And Abhimanyu Ghoshal keeps trying to log in:
Sony’s online service for its gaming console, PlayStation Network, is currently down, with users reporting issues logging in over the past couple of hours — and notorious hacker outfit Lizard Squad claims they’re responsible for the outage. MORE
Straight from the horse's mouth:
PSN update: we are aware of the issues some users are experiencing, and are working to address them. We'll keep you updated. MORE
Zorine Te chases lizards off a power switch:
According to the official AskPlayStation twitter account, PSN is back up.
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[Hacker] group Lizard Squad claimed that it had brought the service offline, tweeting "PSN Login #offline #LizardSquad" MORE
So Andrew Griffin studies herpetology:
The PlayStation Network was taken down by hackers this morning...another attack by a group that has promised to keep assaulting games networks until Christmas.
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Lizard Squad, which was also involved in a hack of Xbox Live last week, claimed responsibility for the attack.
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Lizard Squad attacks have taken down other high-profile gaming targets like EA Games and Destiny. MORE
But Allison Griffiths wants to take a break -- but can't catch one:
Gamers have been told to brace for the possibility of more Xbox Live outages throughout December and on Christmas Day.
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On...December 6, a cryptic message on Lizard Squad's Twitter page read, "unlike Santa, we don't like giving all of our Christmas presents out on one day. This entire month will be entertaining #LizardSquad."
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The hacker group has boldly used social media to announce that they will shut down Xbox on Christmas Day. MORE
Meanwhile, Jeremiah Grossman hacks in style:
According to a Bloomberg source, the Sony hack originated from the St. Regis hotel in Bangkok. < haxoring in style MORE
You have been reading IT Blogwatch by Richi Jennings and Stephen Glasskeys, who curate the best bloggy bits, finest forums, and weirdest websites…so you don't have to. Catch the key commentary from around the Web every morning. Hatemail may be directed to @RiCHi or itbw@richi.uk. Opinions expressed may not represent those of Computerworld. Ask your doctor before reading. Your mileage may vary. E&OE.
