Holden McGroin 6613 Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Sky.com The Japanese electronics giant Sony has admitted millions of PlayStation network gamers may have had their personal details stolen. A hacker broke into the PlayStation video game online network and stole names, addresses and possibly credit card data belonging to 77 million people. It is believed to be one of the biggest-ever internet security breaches of its kind. Sony learned of the breach on April 19 and immediately shut down the PlayStation network, but kept quiet about it for a whole week. In a statement the company said an "illegal and unauthorised person" obtained people's names, addresses, email address, birthdates, usernames, passwords, logins, security questions and more. The shutdown of the PlayStation network prevented owners of the video game console from buying and downloading games as well as playing with rivals over the internet. The breach is a major setback for Sony. Although video game hardware and software sales have declined globally, the PlayStation franchise has been a steady seller and is one of its key products. This is a huge data breach. The bigger issue with Sony is how will the hacker use the info that has been illegally obtained? Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter The company said there was no evidence credit card numbers were stolen but warned users it could not rule out the possibility. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained," it said. Analysts said while Sony has notified its customers of the break-in, it still has not provided information on how users' data may have been compromised. "This is a huge data breach," said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. "The bigger issue with Sony is how will the hacker use the info that has been illegally obtained?" Sony, which is part of Sony Corp, said it hoped to restore some of the PlayStation network's services within a week. The network launched in autumn 2006 and offers games, music and movies to people with PlayStation consoles. It has 77 million registered users. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6682 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Parky will reckon it's a conspiracy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneColdStephenIreland 74 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 It's why you should get an xbox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6682 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 It's why you should get an xbox Aye because they're impervious to hacks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoneColdStephenIreland 74 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 It's why you should get an xbox Aye because they're impervious to hacks... So far...... Might just get a Nintendo 64 just to make sure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinofbeans 91 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 boots up vic 20. ahhhhh.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 the records of 77 million users - the only people interested will be Lynx and the manufacturers of anti-spot cream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Besty 4 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Not that this could've gone in the gaming forum or owt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holden McGroin 6613 Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 I didnt even know there was a gaming forum tbh Plus. nicking 77 million identities is probably worthy of general chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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