Lizard Squad, the hacking collective infamous for shutting down Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network on Christmas Day in 2014, is turning against one of its own.
In the hacker world, you’re often either with or against somebody, with no in-between. That’s the case for Vinnie Omari, who served as a spokesperson for Lizard Squad when they received international media attention for their large scale DDoS attacks that enraged millions of gamers. The group has suddenly decided Omari isn’t with them anymore, so it’s doing everything it can to distance itself from him.
@LizardLands
It’s unclear what exactly started the conflict, though it seems the core members of the Lizard Squad with technical ability grew tired of Omari taking credit for the group’s work. “I just went ok fuck vinnie when he demonstrated his absolute lack of respect lol,” Julius “zeekill” Kivimaki told the Daily Dot via Twitter direct message. “Vinnie was never a member of [Lizard Squad] in any real capacity, he only spoke to [journalists.] We just allowed him to brag to people.”
Now, Lizard Squad members and their supporters are doing everything they can to make Omari’s life hell. They’ve posted his personal information, as well as the alleged personal information of his mother and father, on Twitter. And in an attempt to get him expelled, they’ve contacted Omari’s university to claim he’s a drug-dealing hacker.
Last week, someone unsuccessfully attempted to “swat” Omari’s lawyer, Ernest Aduwa, meaning they called in a fake threat designed to summon a police invasion.
Omari says isn’t worried, though. “I had enough of them acting like idiots[.] I went ham at them all along with 60 plus twitter skid hackers and blocked them all to piss them off,” he told the Daily Dot. He’s hinted in interviews and on Twitter that he has powerful connections at England’s National Crime Agency, saying “everyone there knows me.”
@Vinnie
Now that he’s on the outs with Lizard Squad, Omari the feeling is mutual. “None of those guys were my friends. They never have been and never will be. But I’m way beyond looking for media attention, they just think it’s gonna bother me but in reality it’s not, any publicity is publicity,” he said.
One thing is for certain: Lizard Squad hasn’t pulled off anything like their Christmas Day attack since it happened in 2014. This year, Xbox Live and Playstation Network were fully functional on December 2015. It looks like the Lizards are starting to eat themselves alive as they’re unable to pull off any major attacks.
Illustration by Max Fleishman