Microsoft talks Xbox LIVE security problems. Kind of.

Depending on who you ask, there either is or isn’t a pretty huge criminal operation going down on Xbox LIVE.

For months now, users have complained of account hijackings and fraudulent credit card purchases, often – but not always – associated with FIFA 12’s Ultimate Team trading economy.

Until now, Microsoft has been playing “pretend-it’s-not-happening”, claiming users are victims of some kind of phishing scam, and therefore personally at fault for their own compromised security.

Late last week however, a scathing exposé of Microsoft’s rotten customer service posted by Xbox LIVE user Susan Taylor on Tumblr was caught up in the mainstream gaming press and copy-pasted all over the internet.

Shockingly, Microsoft’s damage control team suddenly scrambled to make nice.

In a statement to Eurogamer, Microsoft insisted there has been no security breach on the network: “Microsoft can confirm that there has been no breach to the security of our Xbox Live service. In recent cases, some Xbox Live members appear to have been victims of malicious scams. Unfortunately this is something that affects many internet based services.”

Now IGN has published a sort-of interview with Xbox LIVE Policy and Enforcement boss Stephen Toulouse, but the company’s official line still seems to be “Er, um, maybe, what?”

After making vague excuses about the delays in resolving problems, saying that this “should not happen”, Toulouse avoids actually addressing the real issue at all, conceding only that Microsoft has to “get better”.

“Security is a journey, not a destination,” he said. “We do have to get better at doing it. It’s on us to keep security on the forefront and to improve it… and we’ve been getting better.”

Further reading

Xbox LIVE FIFA scam is ongoing

Sources: Tumblr, Eurogamer, IGN