An 18-year-old has been arrested as part of an international investigation into the Christmas Day PlayStation Network and Xbox Live DDoS attacks.
The man was arrested this morning in Southport, a seaside town based in Merseyside, England. He is being held on suspicion of unauthorized access to computer material, unauthorized access with intent to commit further offenses, and “threats to kill.”
GameSpot has confirmed with the Thames Valley Police that the man was arrested in connection with the investigation into the PSN and Xbox Live attacks, as well as on suspicion of being involved with “swatting.” Swatting is a criminal offense where people make phony emergency calls to the police in order to send armed police to their home.
The arrest was made as part of a joint effort between UK cybercrime authorities, including the South East Regional Organized Crime Unit and the National Cyber Crime Unit, and the FBI.
“We will pursue those who commit crime with the false perception they are protected within their own homes or hiding behind anonymous online personas” — Peter Goodman
As part of the arrest, authorities seized numerous “electronic and digital devices” that will be examined by forensics units.
“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,” SEROCU Cyber Crime Unit head Craig Jones said in a statement.
“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 offences and hold them to account.”
Association of Police Officers cyber security lead Peter Goodman added: “This arrest demonstrates that we will pursue those who commit crime with the false perception they are protected within their own homes or hiding behind anonymous online personas.”
Lizard Squad, the name for an online collective of hackers, is thought to be responsible for the PSN and Xbox Live outages, but this has not been proven. A reported member of the group was arrested earlier this month, though the charges were not related to the PSN and Xbox Live attacks.
Earlier this week, US President Barack Obama outlined a new legislative proposal aimed at thwarting DDos attacks.
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