'Lizard Squad,' The Hacker Gang That Shut Down PlayStation Network And Xbox Live For 2 Straight Days, Is Now Reportedly Attacking Tor

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"Lizard Squad," the notorious hacker collective that will now be known for shutting down Sony's PlayStation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live for two straight days starting on Christmas Eve, is now reportedly after the anonymous communication service, the Tor Project.

While the hacker group offered an explanation for hammering Sony's and Microsoft's game networks with DDoS attacks, the group has not yet stated why they are going after the anonymous communication service. 

The Tor Project is one of the most popular and effective sites for encrypted communication: Whistleblowers like Edward Snowden have used the service, and it's proven pivotal in "dissident movements" in Iran and Egypt.

Tor's service keeps users anonymous by bouncing communications around a large network of computers known as "volunteer nodes." But as Gizmodo points out, if one group can control most of the nodes - which is exactly what Lizard Squad is attempting to do here - it may "be able to eavesdrop on a substantial number of vulnerable users."

Computer programmer Nadim Kobeissi says Lizard Squad has claimed nearly half of Tor's ~8,000 relays.

As with the earlier attacks on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, there's no way of truly knowing who is responsible for these service issues. Sony and Microsoft have not yet come forward to announce how their networks were brought down, and that's likely because the companies still needed to put out the fire.

As for the Tor project, the group has not released any statements. We've reached out the group and we'll update this story as soon as we learn more.