Xbox Live users, specifically winning players, are being targeted by hackers. Researchers believe that the attacks are done so other Xbox Live users could get back at the players who beat them in a game.

A BBC report explains that the tools used in this hacking attack do not target the Xbox Live network but the IP addresses of players hosting games. Hackers first try to find out what a target user’s IP address is, and when successful doing this, they are able to stage attacks commonly done on websites.

Denial of service is an infamous line of attack where hackers flood sites to make it inaccessible to visitors.

This attack again presents an opportunity for cybercriminals to offer their services, for certain amounts of money of course. That is, if they were not already involved in the first place. Sniffing for IP addresses is the hard part of this operation. Imagine irate users paying money to get that information so they could get their revenge.

It is interesting to note that more than a year ago several Xbox Live accounts were hacked, where the goal appeared to be information theft.

Microsoft, which operates Xbox Live, is already investigating this online threat. The company has also made it clear that malicious activities like this violate the Terms of Use of the gaming and digital media service. Users caught participating in this attack could thus be banned.

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