PSN, Windows Live and 2K Gaming networks ‘hacked’: experts recommend immediate password change, though release could be fake

Hacker group DerpTrolling release document as glimpse of huge trove of information, but many logins don’t work

Hackers released a collection of thousands of what they claimed were logins and passwords for some of the world’s most popular gaming networks, including Sony’s Playstation Network, with users being encouraged to change their passwords as soon as possible.

Users reported having tried some of the logins on the document, and had no success. While it may be possible that the logins contained in the release are fake, experts recommended changing passwords anyway.

The document claimed to hold information on users on PlayStation Network, the console's online gaming platform, as well as Windows Live, a now discontinued name for a set of features that did the same for Microsoft products.

The hackers — who call themselves DerpTrolling — described the collection of around 5500 logins “a very small portion” of what they had retrieved on “glorious raids across the high seas of the internet”.

The hackers claim to have released the document as proof that claims to hold as many as 7 million logins and 500,000 people’s credit card details, and to encourage anyone that might be affected to change their passwords. The hackers claimed also to have access to login data for Comcast, Twitter, CIA, Windows Live, Facebook and EA Origins accounts.

“These usernames our [sic] bestowed on you in the humble name of Derp,” the release said. “Let this be a humble warning to us all. Nothing is safe from Derp.”

Sony has been seeking to improve the reputation of its Playstation network after high-profile breaches, including one in August calculated to show vulnerabilities in the platform.