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Prosecutors laugh last, Lulzsec hackers sentenced
The Lulzsec hackers responsible for a string of 2011 cyber attacks that targeted game companies including Sony, Nintendo, Epic, Bethesda, and Mojang have been sentenced to jail time. Gamespot reports that Ryan Cleary, Jake Davis, Mustafa al-Bassam, and Ryan Ackroyd pled guilty last month. The BBC says that the men could also face extradition to the United States due to various indictments. Lulzsec targeted a number of high profile corporations during the summer of 2011. The attacks resulted in Sony Online Entertainment MMOs and Sony's PlayStation Network going offline for several weeks.
SOE's John Smedley weighs in on the recent hacks
You'd think putting the words Sony and hack together in the same sentence would give John Smedley a minor heart attack. Not so, according to a GameSpot writer who spoke with Sony Online Entertainment's CEO at the recent GDC Austin event. Unlike the lengthy service outage that cost the company some credibility (and millions of dollars) earlier this year, the latest attempted security breach was neither widespread nor particularly effective, according to Smedley. It's also likely that the problem didn't stem from compromised Sony network data. "We've said publicly when we were compromised before that the information is out there and could have been used. That was obviously the first thing we looked at. Then we did the mathematical analysis and said 'obviously that's not what happened.' I'm not going to say it's impossible [{that}the info came from Sony]. We just think that's not the most likely case," Smedley explained.
Star Wars Galaxies ages eight years gracefully
Much like the current Star Wars MMO in development, Star Wars Galaxies had a very active forum community before the game even launched. Many of those who were a part of that original community still play the game. Although I was not an active member of that first community, I certainly read what was happening and was extremely excited when the game launched on June 23rd, 2003. For the first time in history, a player was allowed to create his own character to live in the Star Wars universe. And despite the issues that would come a couple of years later, the community in the game is still strong and active. I logged into my old stomping grounds of Starsider on a character that some people would recognize. Since I am an avid roleplayer and that community is still very active in SWG, I joined one of the chat channels I knew and asked where I could possibly find some RP events for the evening. It was still early, so I was not expecting much. To my surprise, I received an immediate reply. The members of the channel said there were not any events that they were aware of, but I may be able to find some RP in a couple of player-owned cities. One of these cities was the city I used to spend all my time in: Red Sands. I had to see what was going on there after years of being away. I was take aback when I arrived. The leaders of the town had placed an invading force of NPCs about the city and were having a stand-off with the citizens, a scene that appeared to be right out of a western. The story continues after the break. Find out why Star Wars Galaxies is still active after eight years from Pilot Senator Anishor, the developers, and the active players. %Gallery-126861%
The Daily Grind: Does SOE owe you in-game compensation?
The recent announcement by Sony Online Entertainment of a compensation program for users affected by the downtime of its MMORPGs presents lots of opportunities for discussion. In some quarters, players have praised SOE for lining up double XP benefits, events, and one-of-a-kind items. In other cases, displaced vets are complaining about the sheer unfairness of it all, as well as the perceived inadequacy of the reward items offered as an olive branch. Underlying all of this is the question of whether SOE owes anything to consumers aside from honest billing practices and identity theft protection services for those actually affected by the breach. If nothing else, the fiasco serves as an interesting case study not only for PR disaster prevention and MMO IT practices, but also feelings of player entitlement. How about it, Massively folk? Do you think SOE owes you in-game compensation for your lost leisure time, or are you content with freely available identity theft protection programs? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
SOE begins restoring game services
Sony Online Entertainment has good news for fans of its dormant MMORPGs. Service restoration has officially begun for all of the company's online games, forums, and related websites as of May 14th. Earlier today, the company issued a press release with the details as well as a statement from Sony executive Kazuo Hirai. "Our main priority is the safety and security of our customers' personal information. We are making consumer data protection a full-time, company-wide commitment, and have applied enhanced security technologies so that our customers can feel protected and confident about playing our games," Hirai said. SOE provided details on its Welcome Back promotion earlier this week, and today's release provides links to a handy chart covering promotions for all of the company's games as well as a summary of the initial customer service notice and contact information. The promotions include free play time for former (not just active) subscribers to SOE's MMOs, making it a great time to return to an old favorite.
DC Universe Online players getting a new mask as a consolation prize
It hasn't been an easy ride for Sony Online Entertainment customers this week, as it looks like the PSN hack has affected them as well. The company is already working on a plan to make up the outage to players, especially the DC Universe Online customers who have been doubly hit. And as we all know, the road to mending fences starts with a nice hat, which has just recently been revealed on the former game's Facebook page. According to the official statement, all DC Universe Online players impacted by the outage will receive a free month of game time plus one day per day that the service was unavailable. Players will also be receiving a new Batman-inspired mask as shown above. Precise details will be made available to players in the coming days as network service begins restoration, and while the hat won't cure all woes, it will at least help ease the sting.
SOE games down until Friday at the earliest, class action suit launched, Anonymous denies involvement [Updated]
The latest news in the Sony Online Entertainment debacle finds the besieged MMORPG maker turning to outside sources for help. According to MSNBC, SOE has hired security experts from Data Forte, Guidance Software, and Robert Half International to assist in plugging the holes in its IT infrastructure. Legal issues are waiting in the wings as well, and Tuesday brought the first hint of a proposed class-action suit. McPhadden Samac Tuovi LLP is preparing a $1.05 billion suit on behalf of a 21-year old PlayStation customer from Mississauga, Ontario. In other related news, SOE's Taina Rodriguez told the San Diego Union-Tribune that the company's game services will remain offline through Friday and possibly longer. [Update: In its most recent update, SOE commented further on the delay between the attacks and SOE's becoming aware of them, noting that "Essentially the perpetrators used sophisticated means not only to access the data, but also to cover their tracks. We committed to continue the investigation and in doing so, uncovered further information that we did not have when we initially believed the data was not stolen." Meanwhile, our sister publication Joystiq is among news agencies reporting that SOE has suggested to Congress that Anonymous is responsible for the attacks. Anonymous has denied involvement.]
