Xbox Live and PlayStation Network recently suffered through a cyber attack and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is getting involved as they investigate three teenage hackers who were allegedly responsible, Inquisitr reported.
The hackers from the group Lizard Squad targeted Microsoft's Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network with a Distributed Denial of Service or DDoS attack on Dec. 25. The attack left players unable to access the games for over 24 hours affecting the operation of both networks. The group made headlines worldwide due to the attack and their Twitter account garnered 125,000 more followers, according to Daily Dot.
In an attempt to resolve the matter, an FBI agent is investigating a group member alias "Ryan," who is also known as ryanc, zee or zeekill. Allegedly around 16 or 17 years old, Ryan and fellow member alias Vinnie Omari spoke to media outlets, such as BBC 5 Live Radio and Sky News about the attack and admitted their involvement.
However, Ryan is confident about not getting apprehended as he resided overseas, specifically in Finland, making it difficult for the agent and the FBI to arrest him, according to Inquisitr.
Not only that, but the Bureau will most likely not find support from the Finnish government. The country gives its citizens the right to "refuse extradition due to a suspect's age, and can stipulate that Finish citizens may not be prosecuted even if they are extradited."
However, Ryan now claimed protection not just under Finnish law, but the 1996 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which granted civil rights to citizens in signatory countries.
Cooperation between multinational governments will most likely be needed to bring down not just Ryan and the Lizard Squad, but also the myriad of hacker groups that are running rampant, according to Inquisitr.
The raid on torrents site Pirate Bay required the help of the Swedish government and one of its cofounders be arrested by Laos officials. In 2011, LulzSec and its members from the United States and United Kingdom brought down the PlayStation Network and other services.
When the Finnish Polisi or police were contacted by Daily Dot on whether or not the local authorities will pursue Ryan, Vinnie and the Squad, no one was available for a comment.
For now though, news is still being waited upon on the fate of Ryan and the Squad. Microsoft and Sony have also been making repairs to get back online. PlayStation Network still looks to be recovering, while the Xbox Live encountered problems over the weekend but is quickly righting its systems, according to Inquisitr.
