U.K. man arrested on suspicion of PlayStation Network & Xbox Live cyber attack

Today, UK police arrested an 18-year-old man in connection to the hack on PlayStation Network & Xbox Live on December 25th, 2014.

British authorities, in conjunction with the FBI, seized electronic and digital devices that will be examined by
the UK South East Regional Organised Crime Unit’s Cyber Crime Forensic and eForensics Unit.

The young man was arrested due to suspicion of hacking offenses (“unauthorized access to computer material”), ‘swatting’ (providing false information to law enforcement “suggesting that a threat exists at a particular location so that police respond with tactical units”), and intent to kill.

Craig Jones, Head of the Cyber Crime Unit at SEROCU, stated the following: “This investigation is a good example of joint law enforcement cooperation in relation to a type of criminality that is not restricted by any geographical boundaries.

Last December, both game networks were interrupted by distributed denial-of-service attacks, not allowing users to make use of the online features their games offer.

[Source]: South East Regional Organised Crime Unit: Man arrested for ‘swatting’ and denial of service offences.