Another hacking incident hits Sony


3 May 2011

Just days after it admitted to a huge security breach, during which a hacker stole information belonging to up to 77m PlayStation users, Sony Corporation has said another of its online services was attacked.

Last night, Sony Online Entertainment shut down its services as it was concerned a hacker may have accessed personal details – including names, addresses and birth dates – of 24.6m customers.

Hackers may have stolen credit card data for about 12,700 non-US accounts and 10,700 bank account numbers from an “outdated database from 2007”, the company said.

The attack happened on 18 April but it only discovered an intrusion to the Sony Online Entertainment PC games network on 2 May during a major probe into the company’s security systems.

The company had started major investigations since the security breach happened between 17-19 April. On 20 April, the company shut down its PlayStation Network.

The second service that was hacked, the Sony Online Entertainment network, allows users to play games over the internet on PCs. EverQuest is one of its most popular games.

Sony has come under major criticism for its handling of the data protection incidents. Some calls have been made for the resignation of chief executive officer Howard Stringer.

The company has apologised to customers for the breach and has said its PlayStation Network will be back up and running as soon as possible. It is planning a gradual restart with increased security and free content to users.

Article courtesy of Businessandleadership.com