Lizard Squad hackers are claiming responsibility for an attack on the PlayStation Network (PSN), in the latest in a series of attacks on the video game industry.
Visitors to the e-store are told the page cannot be found, with a message claiming the problems is "the internet’s fault", despite a tweet from the hackers that they are to blame.
Writing on Twitter, Sony Entertainment Network said: "We are aware that users are having issues connecting to PSN. Thanks for your patience as we investigate."
The last few weeks have seen several attacks by Lizard Squad, including a hit against the Microsoft Xbox network and the video game streaming site Machinima, which has yet to recover since the domain was hijacked and homepage defaced last week.
More than 8,000 have even signed a White House petition demanding that the government take action against the hackers, who attained infamy this past summer when they forced a Sony executive’s plane to land after tweeting a fake bomb threat. Around the same period they also attacked the PlayStation Network for the first time.
Though Lizard Squad said they would be returning to their normal lives after an attack against the video game streaming site Twitch, they have returned in recent weeks, attacking a number of sites and tweeting that one of their "lizards" had been released.
The group has also threatened more action in the run-up to Christmas, tweeting on Saturday that: "Unlike Santa, we don’t like giving all of our Christmas presents out on one day. This entire month will be entertaining."
Based on their activities and Twitter accounts it appears they hack mostly for amusement, with seemingly little political or financial motives.
Their attack on Sony is also the first since the company’s movie division was breached by another group calling themselves "Guardians of Peace", in what may be one of the biggest corporate breaches in history.
