Looks like the PlayStation Network is going to be down for a bit longer than expected. The Network has dealt with lots of issues due to DDoS (distributed Denial of Service) attacks, leading to a possible complete outage. The Xbox Live Network had similar issues but they have already been restored. The attacks on the PS network have stopped, but Sony attempted to get their servers online and crashed because so many individuals were trying to download the games which were made available at no cost by "Lizard Squad": Destiny & GTAV. Not too long after Destiny got removed, "Sic Squad" re-added Destiny and GTA V a few minutes later and it stayed on the PSN store for about an hour until sony shut the servers off.
A hacking group known as "Lizard Squad" has claimed responsibility for the network being down. They have also illustrated earlier attacks on Sony and Microsoft. These attacks were mentioned in recent threats to take both the Xbox and PS networks down a few weeks back. It looks like they have only managed to keep the PSN down longer than Live's. The reason why they have done this is not too complicated, but might be a little self-righteous. It totally sucks that individuals have received their new gaming systems on Christmas day and are not able to get the best out of them, making the timing terrible. Later today, Lizard Squad confirmed that, "[They] are no longer attacking PSN or XBL, nor are any members. We will not be attacking them in the future. Thank MEGA." "Sic Squad", affiliated with "Lizard Squad" also states that they do have access to the PSN Store servers.
Sony have acknowledged the issue, but why is it still down? They stated on Twitter, "We're working to address this as quickly as we possibly can," yet the Playstation Network is still down. This is now stirring a huge debate over cyber-terrorists and the power they can gain over the World Wide Web. When will all these disruptions stop? Also, will Sony or Microsoft ever build a secure infrastructure that would overcome manipulation by such groups in the future? Well, I hope they do and we can get back online to game on!