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We first reported news that the PlayStation Network was down last Friday. Patrick Seybold, Director of Corporate Communications for Sony, published several updates since then stating that the company was dealing with an external intrusion and that they were working rebuilding their systems. However, things took a turn for the worse this morning when another entry on the Official PlayStation Blog revealed that personal information and even credit cards might be at risk.
Sony hopes to restore access to the PlayStation Network and Qriocity by the end of the week, but the company is also out alerts regarding this threat to all registered account holders. Seybold claims that hackers managed to get access to just about all your information including your name, birthday, billing address, mailing address, email address, PSN username, PSN password, purchase history, and even security questions. If you have purchased items on the PlayStation Network in the past, he claims that your credit card number, pin code, and expiration date are possibly compromised.
Things get even more worrisome when you read that Sony encourages being wary about any odd phone calls from PlayStation asking to confirm your personal information, which might be scams. The official statement also recommends keeping an eye on financial statements for any unusual charges. I would also suggest changing your password if you use the same combination for other services.
In response, Sony shutdown the PlayStation Network and Qriocity on April 20th to avoid any further data loss. They have also hired a security firm to further investigate the matter and are enhancing their network infrastructure to better protect information about users.
Although we reported that Anonymous claims no involvement with this attack, Sony still mentions them on their website. To avoid any misinterpretation, the company simply states that “we cannot comment further at this time.” It might be possible to reboot the service and get back up and running quickly, but Sony is apparently working to strengthen its network which they claim is “worth the time necessary to provide the system with additional security.”
For those wondering, I doubt Sony will issue any refunds since PSN is a free service However, I would not be surprised to see some benefits offered for PlayStation Plus and Qriocity users. We hope to see things back on track by the end of the week, but check back here for more updates.
Links: PlayStation Blog
Phone Support: 1-800-345-7669
Sold my ps3..without the psn the system is useless..
Yep… traded mine and all the games at game stop today for a kinect bundle and I was a loyal customer for 9 years… not like Sony cares or anything.
This is a ear-ringing shout for those sleeping system administrators. Too bad for Sony’s sales I do hope they can catch the culprit as soon as possible. Look forward from this update.