Xbox Live suffering spate of hacked accounts
Ars Technica reports that a number of Xbox Live customers are complaining of hacked accounts and unauthorised purchases, either using their Microsoft Points balance or the credit card they have on file with Xbox Live. The attacks seem to be have some sort of link to FIFA 11 and 12, with the hijacked Microsoft Points being spent on DLC for that game in the vast majority of cases -- mostly Gold packs for the Ultimate Team mode.
Microsoft seems to have been hit with a spate of such incidents recently, with the fact that the purchased points are being used to purchase FIFA content an apparently familiar occurrence among members of several online communities. Some customers are complaining of inconsistent or unhelpful responses from Microsoft -- shades of this story from last month - but others have found they're being helped (and refunded) without having to make a fuss.
Microsoft hasn't made an official statement on the matter, and it's probably not time to start looking at this as Microsoft's equivalent of Sony's hack disaster earlier this year - yet. In the meantime, though, make sure your account stays safe. Ensure the email address associated with your Live account is up to date so you can be immediately notified of any unexpected purchases; change your Windows Live password to a lengthy one, preferably involving letters and numbers; and keep an eye out for any unexpected activity on your account, particularly surrounding FIFA 11 or 12.
