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SOE hacked: 12,700 credit card numbers and 24.6 million accounts may have been compromised

Earlier today Sony Online Entertainment shut down service because of an intrusion into the system, and now we’ve learned thousands of users’ credit card numbers were stolen. The news was originally reported by Japanese news site Nikkei.com (via BGR), but SOE has since released a press release detailing even deeper attacks.

The report states that more than 12,700 customers’ credit card numbers may have been stolen. SOE believes hackers stole customer information on April 16 and April 17. Engineers and security consultants reviewing SOE systems discovered that personal information from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts may have been stolen, as well as certain information from an outdated database from 2007. The outdated database had approximately 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates, but no security cards. There may also have been 10,700 direct debit records stolen from customers in Austria, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain.

Given the attacks on the PlayStation Network, SOE had already undertaken an intensive investigation into its system. Upon discovering the additional information, SOE shut down all servers related to SOE services while it reviewed and upgraded all of its online security.

The press release went on to say, “Sony is making this disclosure as quickly as possible after the discovery of the theft, and the company has posted information on its website and will send e-mails to all consumers whose data may have been stolen.”

Personal information stolen from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts includes names, addresses, email addresses, birthdates, gender, phone numbers, login names, and hashed passwords. The 10,700 direct debit records stolen include bank account numbers, customer names, account names, and customers’ addresses.

Customers will receive 30 days of additional time on their subscriptions, in addition to compensation of one day for each day the system is down. SOE is also working on a “make good” plan for customers of its PS3 MMOs DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Sony will also offer complimentary assistance in enrolling users in identity theft protection services.