PSN down: PS4 and PS3 users reporting PlayStation Network issues following DDOS threats

PS4 and PS3 users are starting to report that the PSN is down for them, following threats of a DDOS attack timed for the holidays.

 

New PlayStation 4 owners are having trouble verifying their new accounts

UPDATE TWO: A new spate of reports that the PSN is struggling in the UK are coming in today, linked to new users being unable to verify their accounts.

The jump in problems could have something to do with all the new PS4s being updated and used to access key online services.

The online group who threatened to take down both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, Phantom Squad, look to have stayed true to their commitment not to interfere during the holiday season.

They posted this message on Twitter earlier in December, telling gamers: "We are not going to attack PSN or XBOX we will Take down @LizardLands for you guys so have a great Christmas Merry Christmas."

A group known as Lizard Squad were responsible for the mass outages that left fans unable to use their new consoles last year.

The PlayStation support team shared this message on Twitter today: "We're aware that PSN account notification emails are delayed. Thanks for your patience!"

All other services are up and running, according to Sony, however some fans are reporting that verification emails aren't going through at this time, leaving them unable to log in.

 

The PSN down is still down for some users

 

UPDATE ONE: The PlayStation support team have updated the status of the PlayStation Network, revealing that problems with Friends List features are being investigated.

A message posted on Twitter by PlayStation confirms: "We're aware that some users are having trouble accessing their Friends list.

"Thanks for your patience as we investigate."

The PSN status page also lists gaming services as being hit by new problems, the message reads: "You may have some difficulty launching games, applications, or online features.

"Our engineers are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and we thank you for your patience."

 

The PlayStation Network is reportedly down for some PS4 and PS3 users

 

It is currently unclear what is causing the issues today, although it has been reported that a new online group called Phantom Squad would be ready to hit both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live much like last year.

Current problems include being unable to add friends, signing in and playing online, although there has been no change in the official status of the PSN service from Sony.

One users wrote: "Trying to log into new PlayStation 4 PSN account but it still won't allow me to sign into my account. Is the system still down?

Another replied: "Yep, I was trying to buy a couple of games in the January Sales before the annual hacker insident but only managed to get them in the basket before it froze up and now I can't connect."

 

Last year saw a widespread outage affect both consoles which was implemented by an online group calling themselves Lizard Squad.

Many users were unable to access core services for several hours and will likely be anxious to avoid a repeat of last year's December 25 and 26 outages.

This type of cyber attack is known as a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, and is one computer experts have warned is far too easily carried out.

Both new PlayStation and Xbox customers will be hoping that the same problems that crippled the servers last year will not stop those newly bought systems from being updated and used.