XBox guru has admitted “illegal attacks” on users accounts, although denied a security breach by Microsoft.
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| Hack-gate: Are Microsoft or your Xbox account at fault? |
The admission came from Alex Garden, General Manager, Xbox LIVE, yesterday, who warned users to up the ante on password safety as “account hijacking across the Internet continues to grow.”
Garden acknowledged its Xbox Live members were subject to “malicious and illegal attacks”, although firmly denied a lack of evidence to indicate a “direct security breach” on Microsoft systems, meaning it has shoved the blame onto unknown web pirates.
Or are Microsoft possibly blaming users themselves?
Garden urged users to set “strong passwords” on their XBox online accounts and “routinely” change them, using a valid email and a unique password for each online service, and said adding a phone and alternate email contact and reducing personal information shared online or through social networks, would reduce the potential for cyber hacks.
“While we here at Xbox have no evidence of a security breach in the Xbox LIVE service, that is of little comfort to our members whose accounts have been compromised by malicious and illegal attacks”, wrote on his blog.
This repeated Microsoft party line, where it denied the Xbox.com was at fault, following recent questions from Eurogamer.
But Microsoft are not sitting on their hands either, Gardner insists.
“We are working every day to bring new forms of protection to Xbox LIVE. We do not take lightly the frustrations we’ve heard from our loyal Xbox LIVE members and remain committed to addressing and persistently resolving our customers’ individual and collective concerns.”
“Microsoft continues to investigate cyber-criminals and bot nets, and help shut them down.”
One theory of the account hacks blamed Xbox.com website allowing users to run “password-generating scripts” which allowed them gain access to personal info.
“We also care deeply about how this ongoing issue affects your experience with Xbox LIVE and your trust in us.”
Garden also invited users to email him personally is gamers have a problem still unresolved.
