PlayStation And Xbox Hackers Identified? 2 Members Uncovered In ‘Lizard Squad,’ Claims A Former Cybersecurity Reporter
Two PlayStation and Xbox hackers of the Lizard Squad have possibly been identified. Former cybersecurity reporter and security researcher, Brian Krebs, believes he knows who’s behind the Christmas Day hacking of Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft Xbox Live. The hacking prevented millions of people from enjoying their Christmas gifts due to the hacking on their new gaming systems.
A small group known as the Lizard Squad are taking credit for pulling it off. A man known simply as “Ryan” spoke with U.K.’s Sky News in a video, and two members spoke with BBC radio, calling themselves “Member 1” and “Member 2.”
According to Krebs, multiple sources in the investigation link “Ryan” to being a Finnish teenager named Julius Kivimäki. Other online aliases including “Zee,” “Zeekill,” and “Ryan.”
Krebs says sources reveal Julius, 16, is “Member 1.” In October 2013, Helsinki police arrested the teen on suspicion of running a large botnet that involved over 60,000 hacked web servers around the world. The Finnish media reported on the alleged Lizard Squad member’s arrest, but he wasn’t specifically identified. The teenager had also been found in possession of more than 3,000 stolen credit cards, according to Krebs.
“Member 2” is identified as Vinnie Omari, 22. He’s the one who did most of the talking in the BBC interview. He’s described as a “computer security analyst,” and discussed the attacks made by Lizard Squad, in addition to feuds they have with “rival” hacker groups. His voice is also heard on a video from Vinnie’s YouTube channel, where he raves about Hackforums[dot]net being a place where teens assemble to compete by impressing, attacking, and stealing from one another.
According to Vinnie’s Facebook page, he lives in London and studied at Kingston University. It also states that he was a computer forensics analyst at Null Consolidated, a hacking group that was responsible for an attack on the website SoloMid on December 23, the Daily Dot reports. The site is known for providing strategy guides for players of League of Legends.
Krebs isn’t confirming that Juliuas Kivimäki and Vinnie Omari are the PlayStation and Xbox hackers, but it’s the best theory so far in the media. Both “members” of the squad are eager to take credit for a hacking they say is meant to show flaws in big business security systems. In addition to that, “Ryan” said it was something fun for Lizard Squad to do.
The Lizard Squad reportedly put a halt to the hacking of Sony and Microsoft after Kim DotCom of MegaUpload offered the group 3,000 vouchers, totaling $.99 cents each.
[Photo Credit: KrebsOnSecurity and CIO Today]
