Yesterday we spoke of how some users of Xbox LIVE are suddenly getting the boot without any given reason. We naturally assumed it was because of playing pirated games — as has been the case in the past — and that is indeed the case.

Larry Hyrb, aka Xbox LIVE’s Major Nelson, explains the reason for the recent wave of bans, “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, said Hyrb.”

Hyrb says this move will also help to protect the health of the videogame industry by ensuring that users use the proper legal outlets to purchase content. Essentially if a modded Xbox 360 pops up on Xbox LIVE, there is a very good chance Microsoft will eventually track it down and lock it out. So if there’s any question, Microsoft continues to be dead serious about this issue.

And yes, we used the same pic two days in a row. Why? Because it is awesome.