Hackers target crime agency website

Hackers have targeted the website of the National Crime Agency in an apparent revenge attack.

The site was inaccessible yesterday morning and a Twitter account linked to the hacking collective known as Lizard Squad appeared to claim responsibility.

It is thought the website was taken down in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, in which web servers or websites are flooded with massive amounts of data — leaving them inaccessible to visitors.

It comes days after the NCA announced six teenagers were arrested on suspicion of launching attacks using a service created by the group.

The suspects, aged between 15 and 18, were held during an operation targeting alleged users of a tool known as Lizard Stresser.

An NCA spokesman said its website is an “attractive target” and attacks are “a fact of life”.

He added: “DDoS is a blunt form of attack which takes volume and not skill.

“It isn’t a security breach, and it doesn’t affect our operational capability. At worst, it is a temporary inconvenience to users of our website.”

Lizard Stresser is seen as a “DDoS for hire” facility which gained notoriety among the hacking community after the group known as Lizard Squad claimed to have knocked Sony PlayStation and Xbox gaming services offline last Christmas

None of those arrested in the most recent police activity are accused of involvement in those incidents.