Playstation Network Security Breach?

[Haemorrhage]

Sony Computer Entertainment (http://uk.playstation.com/home/news/articles/detail/item98438/Notice-to-PLAYSTATION%C2%AENetwork-Users/) announced today that security problems with the online PC PlayStation Store (http://store.playstation.com/store/index.vm) may have allowed the unauthorized access of personal account information.

We have found out that there has been a possibility of unauthorized access to personal information on the PLAYSTATION®Store through PCs, a content download service of the PLAYSTATION®Network. Although unlikely, it is possible that the passwords of a small percentage of PLAYSTATION®Network users may have been changed through unauthorized access, making it possible to view users’ personal information and/or use the Wallet for the PLAYSTATION®Store. PLAYSTATION Network accounts do not display entire credit card numbers, so any unauthorized access to your PLAYSTATION Network account is very unlikely to compromise your credit card number.


Does anyone have further information about the security problems or if anyone was affected?

[CaptStu]

That's gotta suck.

[Citizen Philip]

i think it's polite of them to post the announcement so you can go check your information or change your password. If you feel you need to.

[Trazzlo the Magnificant]

Several days ago they announced in game that there might be a security issue, but it was limited to people who actively shared their account information. We use very strange account names and long passwords, so we didn't update then. Now that this is a more general security issue, we changed all of our accounts.

But, I see a trend here. Maybe it's all one problem, but it could be that there have been two separate security issues.

[DigitalFirefly]

<Insert you get what you pay for joke here>

[silv]

<Insert you get what you pay for joke here>

Not good. I hope the number of affected people is small.

[gillman]

How is it that all of these companies continue to have their user base hacked into like it is nothing? I know it costs a ton of money to make sure your servers are constantly secure, but isn't this kind of one of those things that you just accept as operational loss at this point?

[Rune_74]

Shouldn't we be all over them for not having decent security?

[biosc1]

<Insert you get what you pay for joke here>

Well, considering how many hoops one has to jump through to purchase something on the marketplace...all the power to the crims who want to give that a go ;)

[Zander]

How is it that all of these companies continue to have their user base hacked into like it is nothing? I know it costs a ton of money to make sure your servers are constantly secure, but isn't this kind of one of those things that you just accept as operational loss at this point?

You're suggesting that the problem could be resolved by throwing more money at it, this isn't the case though. If it was just a matter of money we wouldn't see the break-ins/leaks we see.

If there is a buffer overflow exploit on a server running proprietary software that the coders and code testers haven't found, it's just going to be sitting there until someone sees the vulnerability. Whether it's an employee or customer who recognizes it can make all the difference in the world.

Software has bugs, all software.

[Jack B]

Well, I guess PSN isn't free any longer for those users who lost their credit card number... I'm tempted to change my password tonight, but I'd say the odds are slim that I'm affected.

It's like a parachute. You know it will probably open, but you worry about it, because it's a real pain if it doesn't. I'll probably need to logon to see what my settings are for purchasing content etc.

[Vanthar]

Well, I guess PSN isn't free any longer for those users who lost their credit card number... I'm tempted to change my password tonight, but I'd say the odds are slim that I'm affected.

It's like a parachute. You know it will probably open, but you worry about it, because it's a real pain if it doesn't. I'll probably need to logon to see what my settings are for purchasing content etc.

Doesn't seem like you could have lost your credit card number. It seems like they could have stolen your account and used to to stock up on PSN stuff though.

[Jack B]

Doesn't seem like you could have lost your credit card number. It seems like they could have stolen your account and used to to stock up on PSN stuff though.

Yeah, I think you're right. My bad. I guess they'd use your password to login, download games then change your password so you can't. But aren't the games tied to the gamertag? That's the way Live works.

I better change my password then, but I still imagine the odds are slim they'd pick my account.

[Haemorrhage]

<Insert you get what you pay for joke here>

I seem to remember this happening to Xbox Live (http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/xbox-live-hacked-accounts-stolen-245887.php) last year as well.

[Bingley Joe]

I hope they're scanning for rootkits..

[Yeti2005]

I seem to remember this happening to Xbox Live (http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/xbox-live-hacked-accounts-stolen-245887.php) last year as well.

No Xbox Live wasn't hacked at all but "hackers" were getting username/passwords from people with phishing emails / websites. I wonder if this is the same deal or if they really did hack the system.

[TeeCakes]

That's weird. I thought every PS3 had to be 'activated' with a PSN user ID before you're able to purchase/download games off of PSN. As such, they have a built-in way of tracking when/where a user is logging on and off-- in other words a hacker who uses someone else's personal info to buy things can be traced back to that individual's very PS3, and the hacker would soon be identified as soon as the original user notifies Sony that there are fraudulent purchases made to their account.

I guess that was how this whole thing got discovered in the first place-- hackers should really just stick to the PC 'market' (which ironically software piracy has left irrevocably destroyed.)

[Vandenh]

I seem to remember this happening to Xbox Live (http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/xbox-live-hacked-accounts-stolen-245887.php) last year as well.

That was a non-story from K******. Phishing != hacked.