Last week we reported that Playstation 3 DC Universe Online and Free Realms players were unable to get their MMOG fix due to an outage of the Playstation Network (PSN). We speculated at the time that the downtime might have been an attack against the network from the hacker activist group Anonymous, who has been targeting Sony since their lawsuit against the man that managed to jailbreak the PS3, George "GeoHot" Hotz. But according to AnonNews, the hacktivist group Anonymous is claiming that it had nothing to do with the recent PSN intrusion.

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style="font-style: italic;">Anonymous claims that for once they didn't do it.

The group states in its release that the attack could be other Anon members acting on their own, but that a more likely explanation is, "Sony is taking advantage of Anonymous' previous ill-will towards the company to distract users from the fact that the outage is actually an internal problem with the company's servers".

As it turns out, not only the PSN was affected, Sony suffered sporadic connection issues with a number of MMOGs and websites. SOE's Director of Global Community Relations Linda "Brasse" Carlson posted an update to several SOE game forums explaining that the downtime was in fact caused by an external intrusion on its system.

As a result of an external intrusion on its system, SOE interrupted its services on April 21. Promptly upon learning of the intrusion, SOE initiated an investigation and took corrective steps to bring its games and other services back up.

Following the intrusion, Sony decided to pull the plug on its PSN and Qriocity services to conduct a thorough investigation into the issue and confirm that the system was secure and smooth. However, in a recent update to the Playstation website, it would appear that making sure the system is secure and smooth may be a bit more of a challenge than initially expected. The update states that to ensure that the system is secure; Sony is working around the clock to completely re-build its system to strengthen its network infrastructure. This means that PSN users that require a connection to play games like DCUO, Free Realms and any other online mode or DRM requiring title will be unable to play until the re-building efforts are complete.

When PSN players can log back in to get their gaming fix is still in the air. But the bigger question might be - who is responsible for the intrusion that essentially prompted Sony to bring down its entire network? Stay tuned and we'll bring you more details as they become available.

Sources:

Playstation PSN Update

Re-Building Playstation Network Announcement

PSN Intrusion and Service Suspension Announcement

DCUO Forums