Hunted By Authorities, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network Hacker Group Lizard Squad Disbands

The hacker group Lizard Squad has been quiet for the past few days, leaving many to wonder if the infamous group was apprehended by authorities after a number of white-hat computer hackers went after it. The once-active Twitter account of the outspoken group of hackers has grown silent, less than a week after it tweeted a bomb threat to an American Airlines flight with Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley onboard.

The group took credit for the hacks over the past weekend, but authorities haven’t confirmed whether Lizard Squad was arrested.

[Via LizardSquad.com]

“Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape. We set out on our journey 2 weeks ago with the plan to cause havoc within the gaming community. Our motives varied throughout this adventure. Originally it was to see if we could evade being caught and to experience the raw thrill of anarchy, not being bound to phony laws. We’ve been called everything from an organized criminal “gang” to complete a**holes, really we are just a bunch of guys with too much free time. Throughout our journey we met new people, gained new members, learned new things. People tried taking swings at us (and missed). We proved that even though we are little in this very big world, that a small group of friends who work together can cause a lot of havoc without legal repercussions. Today we will be disbanding, behind the greenreptiles and other bull***t, we have lives believe it or not, things to do, people to meet. Goodbye.”

Lizard Squad created its Twitter account in 2011, but didn’t begin actively using it until Aug. 18. In less than two weeks, the group managed to attack PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, fantasy multiplayer “RuneScape”, multiplayer battle game “League of Legends” and streaming platform Twitch.

Apprehending the group may have been expedited by Twitter user Activist Revolution, an unknown individual or group who exposed alleged members of the squad on Thursday, revealing their personal details like names, addresses, birth dates, nicknames and phone numbers. Activist Revolution aggressively targeted Lizard Squad via the social networking site -- allegedly getting members to expose themselves on their own in a chat room.

By Sunday, the process was over, and Lizard Squad announced on Twitter it was disbanding, also hinting that the “feds” were close on its tail, and referring to other lizards.

Meanwhile, gamers thanked Activist Revolution for making the online gaming realm safe again.