The internet is abuzz this morning after an individual going by the name of Reckz0r claimed to have broken Microsoft’s security and gained access to as many as 48 million Xbox Live accounts.

One of the world’s biggest online gaming and digital media services, Microsoft’s Xbox Live is home to millions of online gamers across the globe. The service is used not only to play multiplayer games over the internet but also to stream video and music and purchase a variety of multimedia content.

Although many users make their purchases through Xbox Live using pre-paid point cards, the majority store their credit card information on Microsoft’s servers, enabling them to buy games and addition content whenever they wish. For these users, news that the service may have been accessed by an outside source will no doubt be cause for deep concern.

The tweet from the alleged hacker was posted at 06:44 a.m. JST. In it, the individual gloats that the billion-dollar service has been accessed and that valuable data had been stolen.

hacked

The Twitter user also posted a 6.12 GB file that allegedly contains millions of Xbox Live users’ credentials as proof of their nefarious achievement.

“Today, Xbox Live has been brutally owned, in true-fashion,” the user begins before taunting a few of his hacking contemporaries and goading Sony, whose own online service PlayStation Network was hacked by members of the Lulsec group in April 2011, whom Reckz0r refers to as allies. “I brutally owned Xbox Live a few days ago, but I decided to dump all the super-dooper precious data now.”

The news comes just two days after Microsoft lifted the lid on its next generation home console, dubbed Xbox One. During the presentation, Microsoft officials chose to focus mainly on the number of online services that would be available to purchasers of the new console rather than revealing upcoming games. News of this morning’s hack will no doubt come as a blow to the company, who is clearly banking on its consumers using the upcoming console to access paid content via the internet.

Microsoft has yet to comment on the issue but we’ll be sure to keep you posted as news comes in.

Update: Gamespot has recently received confirmation from Microsoft that, contrary to Reckz0r’s tweets, Xbox Live has not been hacked, saying:

“Xbox Live has not been hacked. Microsoft can confirm that there has been no breach to the security of our Xbox Live service.”

As you were, boys and girls! Crisis averted!

Source: Behind Games