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Xbox hacking victim tells her story, fights for others
In the current rash of Xbox Live hacking stories, Susan Taylor's might be the most interesting. Like many Xbox Live users in recent months, Taylor one day found that her Xbox Live account had been hijacked, and hundreds of dollars in Microsoft Points and Xbox Live subscriptions had been purchased, draining money directly from her linked bank account. And, like many others, the following days were consumed by calls with Microsoft support, attempting to get her stolen money returned and her Xbox Live account safely reinstated. Her story has many other wrinkles, including a second massive purchase, despite Microsoft's word that her account had been locked, and her own detective work into discovering exactly who had stolen her account and why. Suffice it to say that Taylor's story has a happy ending -- no doubt thanks to a hefty amount of public exposure -- though it certainly wasn't an easy process. Inspired by her experiences, Taylor has founded HackedOnXbox.com, on which her story is recounted and others are invited to share their own. We fully suggest you read Taylor's account of events, and don't forget that Joystiq is still investigating the issue as well. Be sure to contact us if you have any information.
Xbox Live 'FIFA hack' concerns continue to escalate, Microsoft states Windows Live ID not compromised
Additional reporting provided by Xav de Matos, Senior Editor for Shacknews. Following an increasing occurrence of Xbox Live account hack reports, we are growing concerned over Microsoft's Windows Live ID system, the only layer of protection between a hacker gaining access to a person's Xbox Live account and their information. In our research, the only consistency we saw across users who were hacked was the general inconsistency of what email and payment method was used on their account. Hotmail, Gmail and school emails were used for their Windows Live ID, while payment methods used were credit cards and PayPal. Other than a compromised Windows Live ID, there wasn't a common thread we could identify. It's been several months since we started following the "FIFA hack," a rather blunt scam that saw Xbox Live accounts drained so thieves could purchase in-game FIFA 12 'Ultimate Team' cards for use and sale. We have been tracking the FIFA issue and following up on other tips that weren't necessarily rooted in the FIFA hack, but related in that users saw exploitation of payment methods tied to their account. A recent Shacknews editorial detailed accounts compromised by the FIFA exploit.
