Microsoft director of programming for Xbox Live Larry Hryb – also known as community voice Major Nelson – has issued a statement and Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to ban Xbox 360 consoles that have been internally modified.

His blog post reads: “I’ve gotten a few messages and seen some forum threads pop up on console bannings so I thought I’d post and let folks know what’s up.

“In our continued effort to keep gameplay safe and secure for our community of more than 14 million members, Microsoft has taken action against a small percentage of Xbox 360 consoles that have been illegally modified in order to play pirated games. You should know that modifying your Xbox 360 console is also a violation of the Xbox Live terms of use, will void your warranty and result in a ban from Xbox Live.   

“The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive, both from manufacturers and the local companies that support them. We will continue to employ and bolster anti-piracy security measures to counter piracy in the gaming industry and improve security in the Xbox Live community.”

Microsoft’s current policy sees t checking Xbox 360s each time they log into live. In specifications on a machine alter between log-ins it means its architecture has been altered, and the machine is subsequently banned.