Sony PlayStation Nightmare: Hackers Breached Security and Stole Personal Data from 77 Million Network Users (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on April 27, 2011
Embarrassing and potential fatal for Sony, a ticking time bomb for 77 million online gamers: hackers breached security for Sony’s PlayStation Network and stole personal data, including credit information and home addresses, for untold millions of people across the globe.
Experts are saying this cyber-hack could rank among the biggest data breaches and theft of personal identity data in all of history. Many are wondering why it took so long for Sony to release information about the breach.
Sony has issued a warning to its PlayStation Network members and a related entertainment service called Qriocity to closely watch their credit card statements for unauthorized charges.
NIGHTMARE.
Sky News Report: Sony PlayStation Network Hacked
From EW, PlayStation Network hacker gained access to millions of gamers’ personal data, Sony reveals:
As if not being able to play any Call of Duty games online wasn’t bad enough, now millions of gamers’ personal information may have been compromised. Sony announced today that its PlayStation Network service — which has been down since April 20 due to an “external intrusion” — was infiltrated by “an unauthorized person” who gained access to gamers’ names, mailing addresses, e-mail addresses, birthdays, logins, and passwords. Although Sony says there’s no evidence that users’ credit card data was stolen, the company says it cannot rule out the possibility. The PlayStation Network, which allows PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable users to download and play games, movies, and music online, serves a reported 77 million accounts worldwide, making this one of the largest breaches of personal identity data ever.
From Wall Street Journal, Hacker Raids Sony Videogame Network:
A hacker stole the names, birth dates and possibly credit-card numbers for 77 million people who play online videogames through Sony Corp.’s PlayStation console, in what could rank among the biggest data breaches in history.
Sony, whose gaming network has been offline for six days, disclosed Tuesday that an “illegal and unauthorized intrusion” between April 17 and April 19 resulted in the loss of a significant amount of personal information that could be used in identity theft.
The PlayStation Network is used by owners of the company’s game machine to play against one another, chat online and watch movies streamed over the Internet. Sony warned users the intruders may have accessed billing addresses, purchase histories and account information for their children.
Fueled by fast Internet connections, online-gaming services have become global social hubs for tens of millions of people who spend hours competing and cooperating on fantasy quests, combat missions and other activities. People across the globe pay monthly fees to play online-computer games like “World of Warcraft.” Most titles for the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp. Xbox 360 have online components.
Sony warned members of its PlayStation Network and a related entertainment service called Qriocity to closely watch their credit card statements for unauthorized charges. It also told members to be on guard against email, telephone and postal scams aided by the lost personal information.
Hack attack on Sony Playstation Network
From The Guardian, PlayStation Network hack: why it took Sony seven days to tell the world:
Sony’s company blog says forensic analysis of the PlayStation Network hack took ‘several days’ to complete and extent of intrusion wasn’t understood until Tuesday
Sony has admitted that it shut down its PlayStation Network last week because it discovered a “non-gaming” intrusion into the system, but had not realised until late on Tuesday – following forensic security testing – that the breach had led to the theft of the data of the 77 million users.
Security analysts said that the problem may mean that hackers have uncovered a fundamental flaw in Sony’s networks which will be expensive and time-consuming to fix.
The company has suggested that an “unauthorised person” carried out the attack against its servers, during which usernames, passwords, credit card details, security answers, purchase history and addresses are believed to have been stolen.
The precise method by which the hacker broke into the systems has not been revealed, though earlier this year the encryption around the PlayStation 3 was cracked. That would have made software piracy on the PS3 simpler, but it’s not clear if it would have enabled the wider break-in.
The Anonymous activist group, which had criticised Sony over its legal threats to people who exploited the encryption crack, has insisted it was not involved in the attack that brought down the network.
The breach has affected two separate Sony networks: the PlayStation Network (PSN), which serves the roughly 55m PS3 consoles, and PlayStation Portable owners, and its paid-for Qriocity music-streaming service.
The company has hinted that it may refund users for lost services and games.
From TVNZ, Sony hacking revealed after tablet launch:
Sony has admitted that the PlayStation Network has been hacked, but did not reveal the breach until after the release of its new tablet computers.
Around 77 million people use the network to download games and play online, making the breach one of the largest ever.
Personal information of registered gamers, including names, addresses, birthdates, and potentially even credit card details, may have been compromised.
Sony said it learned of the breach in its PlayStation Network on April 19, prompting it to shut down the network immediately, as well as Qriocity, Sony’s online downloading service
The shutdown prevented owners of Sony’s video game console from buying and downloading games, as well as playing with rivals over the Internet.
However Sony did not tell the public until Tuesday, hours after it launched its new tablet computers in Japan.
In spite of falling global console and game sales the PlayStation franchise has been a steady seller and remains a flagship product for Sony.
About the author
Comments