The PSN

Many of us have already heard that the PlayStation Network is down but as I talk to more people it seems like no-body has the full story. I'm here to bring it to you. Simply put, thžThe PlayStation Network  has confirmed that the network was compromised because of an “illegal and unauthorized intrusion.” The intrusion happened from April 17th to April 19th and the network has been down since. What has been stolen?

žSony Released a list of stolen information.

•Your name,

•Address (city, state, zip)

•Country

•Email address

•Birth-date

•PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login -and handle/PSN online ID

Sony has not denied the possibility that credit card numbers were stolen. It is suggested that if you have signed up and you believe that your information was stolen, that you should change your password as soon as possible and be on the look out for suspicious activity. Patrick Seybold, Sony's director of corporate communications and social media in the United States says "We have a clear path to have PlayStation Network and Qriocity systems back online, and expect to restore some services within a week." 

Regarding the credit card information, Sony says:“All of the data was protected, and access was restricted both physically and through the perimeter and security of the network." They add that "The entire Credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken..." They went on the say that the personal data table was not encrypted but was behind a very sophisticated security system. You may now find yourself wondering what Sony is currently doing? Well, right now they are in the process of transferring over their network infrastructure to a more secure location. They are also sending out new software updates that require a password change for anyone whos information was compromised. 

Sony security officials have noticed online forum posts regarding large amounts of stolen credit card numbers ready for sale. Hackers reportedly have 2.2 million credit cards with CVVs. Sony fights back saying that CCVs are not required or requested upon registration and therefore wouldn't be stored in the system. It was later found out that Sony DOES  indeed ask for CCV codes. 

They later went to say "While we do ask for CCV codes, we do not store them in our database. It is transmitted to our payment processors of verification purposes only." Sony has announced that the Network will finally be back up this week and that some services will be up and running. Sony says to apologize for the downtime and problems, they will give users at the very least, the following:

• Restoration of Online game-play across the PlayStation®3 (PS3) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) systems (This includes titles requiring online verification and downloaded games)
• Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers
• Access to account management and password reset
• Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
• PlayStation®Home
• Friends List
• Chat Functionality

 My advice? Change all information once the PSN is back up. Keep on the look out for suspicious activity and definitely be careful with who you trust your information with. 

Regarding my posts: I'm sorry about not posting in a while, I've been away. I'm back now and should be posting regularly.