Sony is working with law enforcement and a “recognized technology security firm” after hackers gained access to millions of PlayStation Network accounts. In a Q&A posted today on the PlayStation Blog, Sony said the attack on its system and users is a “criminal act and we are proceeding aggressively to find those responsible.”
Meanwhile, users have gone without access to the PSN for a week. That is no longer the biggest concern as Sony announced yesterday that hackers gained access to PSN user account information, and the company warned against possible scams. At this time Sony does not believe credit card information was taken. All personal data was protected, and “access was restricted both physically and through the perimeter and security of the network.” The personal data table was not encrypted but was behind a sophisticated security system, which was breached by “a malicious attack.”
The credit card table was encrypted, however, and Sony says it has no evidence hackers gained access to credit card information. Sony still warns that credit card numbers may have been taken, however, the security code (CVC or CVS number) could not have been taken as it is not required as part of the PSN.
Sony wrote: “We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the situation and are working closely with a recognized technology security firm and law enforcement in order to find those responsible for this criminal act no matter where in the world they might be located.”
Service is expected to return in a week (from yesterday), Sony clarified today. “However, we want to be very clear that we will only restore operations when we are confident that the network is secure.”
Since Sony went public with the attack and breach of users’ personal information, the company is facing a lawsuit, a U.S. Senator is demanding answers, experts are estimating the attacks could cost Sony $318 per account, and a world worth of PlayStation fans are getting fed up.