I wanted to take this opportunity to clarify a point and answer one of the most frequently asked questions today.
There’s a difference in timing between when we identified there was an intrusion and when we learned of consumers’ data being compromised. We learned there was an intrusion April 19th and subsequently shut the services down. We then brought in outside experts to help us learn how the intrusion occurred and to conduct an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the incident. It was necessary to conduct several days of forensic analysis, and it took our experts until yesterday to understand the scope of the breach. We then shared that information with our consumers and announced it publicly this afternoon.
For those who were looking there’s also an FAQ with some more frequently asked questions
Thank you for your continued patience and support.
Good morning everyone ^_^
Here in San Juan, Puerto Rico is a cloudy, rainy and windy day.
I go to Plaza las Americas to buy MotorStorm Pacific Rift.
6 days more to MotorStorm Apocalypse hits the stores.
MotorStorm Apocalypse release date 5/3/11.
Bye everyone. ^_^
I am preordering the collectors editions of both UINCHARTED 3 and MASS EFFECT 3
People may be overblowing things out of proportion, but the fact is that this is yet another hard blow at Sony’s public image.
They got a a lot of hate from people & the news media for suing GeoHotz. And then when Anonymous made an attack on Sony in March for like 2 or so days, that made Sony’s security a bit of a concern.
I’m surprised that Sony didn’t revamp their security after that attack from Anonymous way back. They were unable to take a hint at how vulnerable the PSN was.
So what do these hackers do? Take note of the vulnerability and time their attack on the service around the time big name games come out for the PS3 like Mortal Kombat,, Socom 4, and Portal 2. This makes Sony look even worse since us PS3 gamers can’t go online or even play the game.
Ok..
Wtf. My comments aren’t being posted now.
@Verios44
Let’s hope PSN is back up before Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 3 get released…LOL
Question: Is Xbox and their services vulnerable to such an attack as was suffered by Sony? Their forums are a buzz that they are invulnerable to any such encounters.
@201 *You hear crickets chirping*….Who? lol
Nah I prefer Led Zeppelin :D
@251 No doubt we would! Just hopefully we get PSN back before:
I start classes in May or before E3!
@252 Nothing is flawless so yes I think it’s possible.
We and the Box are easily hackable *heck I have a friend that lives closeby who has bricked their systems* so if you could tamper with those, it’s more likely one can do other means with that.
This outage certainly has been ” Uncharted” has created a “Mass Effect” on people.
Good one Sony keep up the good work
[sarcastic slow clap]
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Sony expects to have it up and running again within a week. Says the site of “All things Digital”
so 2 weeks of profit loss? Meh Sony can live with that loss, but remember that cost will be passed on to us the consumers in one form or another. it just may become a “Fee Based Service”.
@ datastorm98632
that’s what i’m expecting
Wow, so…I come back from two wonderful days to back on this blog TO finding out my information COULD have been stolen. Are you freaking kidding me, Sony? There’s literally NO excuse for this. If it wasn’t for my information still being on your freaking system. I would have sold it TODAY for a new Xbox 360 that I also just sold recently. This is like walking into a store then losing my wallet on the way out, getting home then figuring out that I lost it. Giving the person who finds it any chance they want to do what they want. THANK YOU, SONY! -sarcastic claps-
Once PSN comes back, whenever the heck that may be, because GOD knows “within a week” is gonna be more like two-three weeks with this company. I would be more than happy to pay 65 [with taxs and all] dollars a year than have this happen again. Even though, I am a PLUS member, and about that….what am I paying for, again? GET PSN UP ALREADY! and if my information is stolen, then Sony, this won’t be the last you would be hearing from me.
The thing is, I just got a check today from my SSD payee today (as per usual) & I usually get a $20 PSN card from a local Blockbuster Video every time I get a check, which I turn use on secondary PSn account (this one) to get videos from the PSN store. I guess I won’t be doing that today. Sony’s loss, I guess. Sad for them, ’cause I regularly buy stuff from them. It’s almost disgusting how much I buy fromk them. W/ PSN down, they’ll be losing money hand over fist, not only from me, but from others who (like me) regularly buy stuff.
If this is the worst thing to happen to me all year, strangely enough, I’ll be thankful.
Now, as far as Sony is concerned, this is one of the worst things that could happen to them. Not only do they have to pay for new servers, outside help and any other costs associated with this mess, they also have to go the extra mile to reestablish the level of trust that consumers once had with them. That is not an easy task.
I’ll support you, Sony, but you’re going to have to do a better job communicating with your customers if things like this happen in the future.
Also, on a personal note, I hope the Sony presentation at E3 is a very humble one. Let the games and developers do all the talking, not the suits. The only things I would prefer to hear from Jack Tretton and Kaz Hirai at E3 are an apology for their lack of proper communication to their customers over this matter and what measures they’re taking to restore the trust people once had in Sony and PlayStation.
@260 I am sure it will be worked out soon. I have a PSN prepaid card sitting on my desk that I bought the morning of the incident. Still not scratched so hopefully this will be up soon so I can use it! :->
Very important….
Ratchet426:
“Five days to come to the conclusion that CC data might have been compromised seems about 4 days too long. If there was enough of a perceived breach to shut the entire PSN service down on the 19th I can’t imagine that CC data breach wasn’t also considered on the 19th.
Don’t the recently enacted Red Flags regulations require companies to inform users of a POTENTIAL exposure of personal information/CC data within 24 hours?”
The question I have relates to changing the password when the network comes back up. If they have comprised our information and possibly obtained our security questions/answers; what’s the point in changing it? It seems fruitless to do this when they have all the information needed to change it themselves to whatever they want.
Maybe Sony hacked themselves just to justify a new fee-only PSN service…
Wouldn’t surprise me…
You guys want psn back so badly you fail to realize they basically said your personal data was compromised. How safe do you feel with having it back up? Sony take months if you need it because I want my data protected.
I’m a little worried about my Credit card info.
Good news everybody…
Finally got my 2nd Platinum. :) Borderlands. w00t, figured it out. Well, figured out how to do a specific trophy and when that was done, I got the plat. also. Bonus ding! :) Sitting at 86% complete, just need to finish up 3 more of the DLCs, but 1 of them (the tournament ones, ugh) I’m waiting for online assistance cuz it’s a PIA and very close to finishing another. So onward!
Ahhh, such offline accomplishments. :)
Fyi: Legend mode in DH:A is no joke going solo, but learned a few things about builds…at least for mages. :) Sittin at level 45 and on the South Road….where many deaths by higher level enemies await. Plus my X button thumb is hurting with all the attacking. heh :)
Do we get a refund of PS+ services? I’d rather not wait out the remaining year of my subscription. I’ll keep playing on the PS3 as I’ve spent plenty of money on it and accessories (days before the PSN going down actually) but as far as spending anything more you’re out of luck.
I really hope things get fixed. I switched systems awhile back so no real loss so far.
Seriously people? Even when they flat out explain everything, you still have to be completely unsatisfied about it.
Now tell me, if your girlfriend missed her period and thought she was pregnant, would you announce it to your family before taking a pregnancy test? No. Just like they didn’t want to announce anything before running tests. It’d be stupid to say “Your information has been compromised” before knowing WHAT exactly happened. It could have just been a server issue, but they weren’t sure. It was handled the best way they could, so if you really keep finding something to complain about, then just move on to Xbox or something. This was handled the best way it could be. If you have any fraudulent charges on your credit card, then there’s an easy reason why. But has ANYONE had false charges to their accounts yet? Seriously, stop complaining, they’re doing all they can.
@247. he admitted how am are we assuming he did it, the words came out his own mouth. He admitted it on various sites and he also admitted he gave it away to various sites. The proof is on the those site. I dont need a warrent to notify sony of others actions toward them.
Just know he is going down and so are those site and we at the psn legion commitee are going to make a petition from gamers around the world to make it so these sites cannot be made on the internet for all consoles sakes. Thats right we are going to petetion U.S congress to get how to hack a console or games sites versus the law and we are willing to go to court to do so.
We also will talking to sony this week by mail and telephone /internet, giving away names of hackers around the globe. If they want war on sony then we are going them war..by all means please tell them. Becuase we are ready!!!
mcbuttz78
vp-psn legionarre commitee
“PSN data leak cost could top $24 billion – Report”
— GameStop, Tor Thorson
>_>
Good job Sony. Let’s see how you’ll recover from a $24 billion loss. with, “…on average, $318 per compromised account.” That’s not good at all.
It’s like Sony would have to give us each a brand new slim PS3 for this and an extra Dual Shock 3 and a game.
On 1 hand, I can count myself lucky in a sense that I don’t have any CC info on my 2 PSN accounts – I use PSN card only. Even my actual name, address, & phone number can be looked up via a phone book if one should decide to do so, but nonetheless, the 1 thing that troubles me more than anything is the mere fact that the hackers could in theory have my PSN Passwords for my accounts and start buyingstuff with my existing funds and/or change my passwords before I get a chance to, hence locking me out of my own accounts. I put thousands of dollars into the content that I’ve bought via both of my accounts & I definitely dont wanna lose access to it all.
@271. sony is worth 7 trillion. 24 billion is really nothing.. lett that sink in for a minute.
Also before you make a new password turn off dictionary predict. then amke it and dont auto save it and use psn cards from there on out..
So, the hackers have log-in information of 77 million PSN users, and creditcard information of 23 million PSN users.
“Question: Is Xbox and their services vulnerable to such an attack as was suffered by Sony? Their forums are a buzz that they are invulnerable to any such encounters.”
Everyone on the Internet is very velnerable to an attack. There’s nothing safe about the Internet. And Microsoft has the least secure software in the world so I’d say the 360 is vulnerable too. It’s time for governments all over the world who want to be on the Internet to come together and start making it easier to track down hackers. The FBI can’t do much when they do track these creeps down because most of them are outside the US. Hackers are the biggest threat to our society. Even China uses hackers to go after US government sites. People need to get their heads out of the sand and wake up.
XBOX Live compromised. All the people that just left Sony for Microsoft got what they deserve. No network is secure. If they want the data bad enough, they will get it. All I want is PSN to be back online. I could care less about data.
Dammit – credit card information on Xbox Live has just been compromised.
I’d better sell my shiny new Xbox and buy back my PS3…
No, wait, I never sold my PS3 in the first place… because PS3 + Bluray + 3D + Uncharted 3 is goodness manifest.
I thought about something…
The reason why I think these hackers are targeting the PSN and now XBL I think is to sort of force Sony & Microsoft to really look into the networks for their stability & security and to fix it.
If that’s the case, then I don’t think our information is at risk. I think the hackers are trying to show that it could be easily stolen and whatnot.
I mean look what happened with Sony. They’ve now been forced to shut down the PSN & PS Store and are supposedly redoing the entire network. We can assume that will mean a drastic overhaul on the security and stability of the network.
(…continued)
Am I being crazy or are there others that agree?
o_O
I was trying to think like what I think Anonymous would do. This is all of course based off of Anonymous’s statement about being sorry for their previous attack on PSN and Sony that gave us the gamers trouble, and that they want to teach Sony a lesson, not the gamers.
So if we go by that, the hacker or group of hackers are probably trying to teach Sony a lesson.
It’s to my understanding that Anonymous is a group of hackers that are working for the people on the notion that companies & governments need to do more for the people they serve and not be so ignorant and greedy.
I mean of course I could be totally wrong here, but I’m just saying that seems like it could be the actual intention.
The only way to be 100% safe from an online attack is to be disconnected from the network and have the Wi-Fi turned off and the ethernet cable unplugged.
@Nike Hopefully that is all that it is, and the credit card information never makes it into the hands of criminals.
So far, I don’t think it is even known that credit card details have been taken though. I wait patiently for Sony and Microsoft’s next updates.
Thank you for the information, but do you have any idea on when the might get it up and running?
Lol. Sony i love you I really do and I trust and support you through this mishap. I also want to say to EVERYONE who’s crying about credit card info and even more to the sad folk who are selling or have sold their PS3s. You’re being pathetic. Like Sony and I have said multiple times in their updates, watch your credit reports and report any unknown uses of your card, it’s not that hard. And if you REALLY dont trust your current info, you can get a new card with new numbers and such. Dont sit their and accuse Sony for not doing enough for you, they have a LOT to deal with right now.
Take your time Sony and consumers, hop off and give them a break. Just monitor your reports. Please.
Euro PS Blog actually got red responses:
“I appreciate that we have not been as responsive as usual here on the blog and please accept my personal apologies for that. I don’t need to tell you of the sensitivity of this situation. However, I promise that we have been working around the clock and we have posted any new information as quickly as has been humanly possible. We are working towards getting things back to normal and that includes maintaining an open and accurate dialogue with our consumers.”
“We’ve had daily blog posts since the PSN has been down and they have included everything we have known at that time. I know it is frustrating but it’s really important to give accurate information.”
(cont)
(cont)
“I know we keep saying the same thing and that can be frustrating but we can’t give out times until we know they are accurate. When they are, they will be here on the blog; that’s the one thing I can promise.”
“We are sending out emails to every PSN member, but sending that quantity is quite a big job so we decided to post it here and on playstation.com so that everyone has access to it at the same time, which was then reported on.”
“Yes, that’s a questions that should have been included in the FAQ and we are discovering new ones to update it with all the time. When PSN is restored, friends lists, trophies and wallet funds will all be exactly as they were before.”
“We’re not resetting accounts or anything like that, so when PSN is restored and you log on, everything will be as you left it.”
“We’re not resetting accounts or anything like that, so when PSN is restored and you log on, everything will be as you left it.”
That’s good to know :)
I’m guessing Sony’s going to take a big financial hit because of this, in addition to the inconvenience that it has caused to the consumers.
Because of that, I hope nobody complains when Sony takes these particular hackers to court. They deserve what’s coming to them (if they get caught)
For what it’s worth, I have been doing some reading online about this situation ever since PSN was hacked. I have turned up some info, that if accurate, could give everyone some reason for concern. As a firect result of GeoHot’s hacking & releasing the PS3’s underlying code, a custom firmware simply known as Rebug was released. To boil it down to the nitty-gritty, it allows retail PS3s to act like Devs’s PS3s. W/ a few teaks, It could allow those to input fake CCs & (in short) steal content from the PSN Store.
(cont.)
That was nice that the Euro Blog made an attempt to reconcile with its viewers after this. American Blog, couldn’t care less. Not even an apology. I wonder who in upper management in San Diego will take the fall for this?
@ Nike
I agree, these hackers are pushing Sony and Microsoft into a corner, I’m almost certain they wont be using any of the data they retrieved. There proving the inevitable. We need a system that is less based on personal information. I gave my address, email, and phone #, but i don’t care who gets that info. Get your credit card info off the internet period. Not even Paypal is bulletproof. I have and always, and will always use service cards or loadable credit cards, that are not tied to me personally.
@nike. doing things by force dont make nothing but anger and violence. Thats where these hackers fouled up. This is cyber terrorism and if they are caught or even suspected of even talking about doing something like this they can go to jail for life..
If they really wanted the Psn/xboxlive systems secure and safe for the people they would sent a video of how to protect the system directly and privitely to sony and ms. I cannt shoot you inthe buttocks and preach gun saftey. Your not going to listen what i have to say . But if I stand next to you and show a books of how to do this right In a sfae manner and corect your mistakes and etc. you will listen more
They have none any favor’s. what you or me or 75 million psn gamers gained by this??
can you guys let buy out by microsoft? so we don’t have to get this stupid update every day and not fixing the god damn problem.
@228 Ms had this problem in 2007 my friend. So if think xbox is safe check you tube . they hacks on stealing your gamer tag and stealing you money..
Also they continue to have problems with this to this day..
I am glad to see a more posative attitude on this blog. I heard a rumor from a friend of mine who is on XBL and previously had a ps3 (wishes he still kept it) that millions of people are considering sueing SONY because of the private info leak especially CC data. I personally think they are all idiots and if they do do this, they could possibly end PSN for all of us. I do not want to see that happen. I have invested too much into ps3 exclusives to transition to the 360. I love KILLZONE much more than HALO. granted,, halo is fun to play, but I like KILLZONE better.
someone mentioned earlier that XBOX is having problems. If that was not a joke, can you please post the link to where you found the info?