Recently, Sony shut down its Playstation Network due to a massive security breach in which credit card information for nearly 77 million users were compromised. It seems that Microsoft is facing something slightly similar as its Xbox 360 Marketplace is also down as of today. Could these two issues be related?
As CraveOnline reports, gamers who browse around Microsoft’s Games Marketplace will find an empty store. When asked, Microsoft doesn’t want to say exactly whats going on just yet. “Users may experience difficulties with the following services: Browsing Indie Games from the Xbox 360 console or Xbox.com, browsing the Games for Windows – LIVE Marketplace on a PC, Browsing Games Marketplace from the Xbox 360 console or Xbox.com. We are aware of the problem and are working to resolve the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience.”
Now, its way to early to say that any hacking occurred even though this situation is oddly similar to Sony’s. Xbox Live still works, so users can still play games online, however, the Xbox 360 Marketplace is currently experiencing problems.
Sony is facing criticism on the way they handled their PlayStation Network security breach. Sony lashed back by saying, “We reported in a week. You are telling me my week wasn’t fast enough?” Howard Stringer, Sony CEO, said that most security breaches go unreported. Only 43% of firms will actually “notify victims within a month.” Stringer also noted that nothing is really “100% secure.” Lets hope we don’t see the same problem with Xbox 360 Marketplace.
