14 DAY TRIAL // An 18-year-old man was arrested on Friday morning in UK in relation to distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox gaming networks last year.
The operation was carried out by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) Cyber Crime Unit in cooperation with the FBI, as a result of a joint investigation between the two law enforcement organizations.
Few details are available about the offenses
Apart from the DDoS offense, the teen is also being investigated for “swatting,” a dangerous prank that consists in a fraudulent call to emergency services in the US that triggers police response armed with deadly force at the address of the target.
Lizard Squad, a group of hackers that carried out several denial of service attacks against gaming networks, announced in early December that they would bring down the PSN and Xbox on Christmas day.
The statement from SEROCU does not mention when the DDoS incident impacting PSN and Xbox networks occurred, except that it took place last year.
According to information we received from the media team at Thames Valley Police contacted via email, the arrest is in connection to offenses carried out over the Christmas period in 2014.
No additional details could be provided about the individual or his deeds as the investigation is ongoing.
“We are still at the early stages of the investigation and there is still much work to be done. We will continue to work closely with the FBI to identify those to who commit offenses and hold them to account,” said Craig Jones, Head of the Cyber Crime Unit at SEROCU.
Police say the arrest is significant
The arrest took place in Boundary Street, Southport, on allegations of unauthorized access to computer material, unauthorized access with intent to commit further offenses, and threats to kill.
Jones adds that the police is resorting to the latest technology and collaborates with private businesses and academia for the development of improved investigative capabilities designed to protect the public.
Several electronic devices were seized by SEROCU and will be analyzed by the cybercrime forensics unit.
Deputy Chief Constable Peter Goodman adds that the current arrest is significant as the UK citizen is suspected of having engaged “ in serious and organised cyber crime on the national and international stage.”