Hackers threaten to briefly stop gamers

A similar attack last year was cut short when Kim Dotcom brokered a deal. Photo / iStock

Hackers have threatened to ruin Christmas for gamers hoping to spend time playing ever-popular Xboxes and PlayStations for the second year running.

The anonymous threat comes from a group known as the Phantom Squad who have posted a tweet in recent days announcing plans to disrupt Xbox live and PSN networks for a week this Christmas.

Last year a similar hack, by a group called the Lizard Squad, lasted three days over Christmas. It was brought to an end thanks to a deal brokered by internet mogul Kim Dotcom.

Desperate to play his favourite game Destiny Mr Dotcom offered the hackers a lifetime worth of premium Mega vouchers to end the cyber attack.

Warning @Sony & @Microsoft. You had 1 year to upgrade your networks. If Lizard Squad takes down PSN & XBOX this Xmas, we'll be pissed! RT!

— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) December 14, 2015

But just 12 months later a similar action to take the ever-popular Christmas gift off-line looms.

"We are going to shut down PSN and XBox Live on Christmas. And we are going to keep them down for one week straight," it posted on twitter.

The squad tweeted they chose to taken down PSN and Xbox Live because cyber security did not exist.

This has been roundly condemned by gamers and Dotcom today tweeted he would be more than upset if Sony and Microsoft had not taken necessary steps to upgrade networks from last year.

"Warning @Sony & @Microsoft. You had 1 year to upgrade your networks. If Lizard Squad takes down PSN & XBOX this Xmas, we'll be pissed! " he posted.

Mr Dotcom said if the online games were hacked it would entirely be the tech company's fault as they had been given plenty of time to prepare for a repeat attack.

"I managed to strike a deal with the hackers last year to stop the attack. I doubt I will be able to do it again. I bought Sony and Microsoft time to upgrade their networks. Let's hope they used that time wisely."

A spokesman for Xbox NZ declined to comment. Sony did not respond to requests for comment.