psn-hack
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PSN hacking suspect sentenced to house arrest for destroying evidence
This week, 23-year-old Ohio resident Todd M. Miller was sentenced to a year of house arrest for destruction of evidence and obstructing a federal investigation into a 2008 hacker-led PlayStation Network breach. The Columbus Dispatch reports that US District Judge Peter C. Economus said Miller was a member of the KCUF hacking clan in 2008 when the group organized an attack on the PlayStation Network, potentially compromising user data. The FBI contacted Miller while investigating another hack in 2011 that resulted in an extended PSN outage. After obtaining a search warrant, the FBI entered Miller's home to find that his computers were smashed and his hard drives were missing. Lacking evidence to bring up Miller and another suspect on hacking charges, the FBI instead charged Miller with obstructing the investigation. While Miller faced up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, he was sentenced to three years of probation and a year of house arrest for obstruction of justice. The judge additionally ordered Miller to obtain a high-school equivalence certificate, as part of his sentencing.
UK government fines Sony for 'serious' 2011 PSN breach, Sony to appeal
The UK Information Commissioner's Office has fined Sony £250,000 for the offense of having been hacked in 2011. The office called the infamous PlayStation Network hack "a serious breach of the Data Protection Act."The ICO found that the attack was preventable "if the software had been up-to-date," and passwords were not sufficiently protected. "The penalty we've issued today is clearly substantial," said Deputy Commissioner and Director of Data Protection David Smith, "but we make no apologies for that. The case is one of the most serious ever reported to us. It directly affected a huge number of consumers, and at the very least put them at risk of identity theft."Sony plans to appeal the ruling, according to a statement passed on by BBC reporter Steph McGovern.
Class action lawsuit from PlayStation Network hack mostly dismissed
Federal Judge Anthony Battaglia dismissed several key claims of a class action lawsuit leveled against Sony after 2011's PSN hack. Battaglia's order dismissed such claims as negligence, restitution, unjust enrichment, bailment and violations of California consumer protection statutes, Courthouse News reported.Battaglia found that Sony didn't violate consumer protection laws because "none of the named plaintiffs subscribed to premium PSN services, and thus received the PSN services free of cost." Additionally, the privacy policy that all subscribers signed included "clear admonitory language that Sony's security was not 'perfect,'" and "no reasonable consumer could have been deceived."The bailment charge was dropped because "plaintiffs freely admit, plaintiffs' personal information was stolen as a result of a criminal intrusion of Sony's Network," Battaglia wrote. "Plaintiffs do not allege that Sony was in any way involved with the Data Breach."Battaglia offered the class an option to amend its claims for injunctive relief and violation of consumer protection law.
Anonymous: PSN hacked again, 10 million accounts at risk [update: Perhaps not]
A tweet by hacker group Anonymous links out to a document titled "Sony Hacked (LEAK) Playstation Network Pwned," containing a list of email addresses and what appears to be hashed passwords.The hacker claims to have about 50 gigabytes of information beyond what's in the document, and about 10 million accounts are "at risk." "Yes, if you play PlayStation Network, you're included <3." So yeah, change your passwords, remove your credit card info from your account. Unfortunately, you know the drill by now.Update: Kotaku reports that the list in the Pastebin doc is a copy of a seemingly unrelated list of email addresses from March 2012, called "Email accs! // universe security sucks." The PSN hack, in other words, appears to be a rumor that didn't turn out to be true. We're checking with Sony regardless.Still, when was the last time you changed your password?
Sony exec says PSN hack was 'a great experience,' apparently means it
The following are what most humans would call "great experiences": eating gelato on a hot summer's day, riding a tandem bike with Anthony Hopkins, or, in the case of Sony executive Tim Schaaff, having your life's work nearly destroyed by a band of hackers. Because for Schaaff, president of Sony Network Entertainment, this spring's persistent PSN outage wasn't so much devastating as it was... enlightening. Here's how he described the hack (and ensuing epiphany) to VentureBeat's Dylan Tweney: "I think for people running network businesses, it's not just about improving your security, because I've never talked to a security expert who said, 'As long you do the following three things you'll be fine, because hackers won't get you... the question is how do you build your life so you're able to cope with those things. It's been a great experience." Phenomenal as it must've felt to get in touch with his inner defeatist, Schaaff admitted that he "would not like to do it again" -- probably because his mouth can only house one foot at a time.
PlayStation Store, Qriocity returning to Japan this week, completing global PSN restoration
Sony's 'Welcome Back' campaign may have drawn to a close a bit early, but the PlayStation Network won't make its full return to Japan until later this week. As of July 6th, Japanese gamers will once again be able to access the PlayStation Store and Qriocity, bringing an end to a nearly three-month suspension enacted after April's widespread data breach. These services have already been reintroduced across other parts of the globe, but Sony encountered notably stiffer resistance in its homeland, where authorities demanded assurance of the PSN's security before allowing it to relaunch within their borders. The PlayStation Store remained down throughout Sony's negotiations with government officials, but company spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka says those discussions have advanced far enough for full services to resume. The PSN's long-awaited return to Japan will also signal its full global restoration, meaning that Sony may finally be able to put the saga to rest -- and try to forget about that $170 million it lost in the process.
Engadget Podcast 241 - 05.27.2011
It's all about doing new stuff, right? This week, we're doing a lot of new stuff: paying for soda pop with our cell phones, reading books on E Ink displays, and waiting for Duke Nukem Forever. OK, well maybe none of those things are actually new, but we're doing them in new ways this week, kind of. Listen to the podcast, is all we're saying.Host: Tim StevensGuests: Brian HeaterProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: 10yr - Regulate02:30 - Kobo unbuttons for $129 eReader Touch Edition, we go hands-on (video)03:52 - Barnes & Noble announces new touch-enabled Nook for $139 (video)13:43 - Barnes & Noble selling Nooks for $99 on eBay18:03 - Live from Microsoft's Windows Phone VIP preview event!22:00 - Windows Phone 'Mango' search offers location-specific results, app integration (video)29:36 - Windows Phone Mango and Bing Vision hands-on32:05 - Live from the Google Wallet press event!33:50 - Google Wallet mobile payment service, Google Offers announced35:16 - Google Wallet vending on Nexus S hands-on43:21 - Droid Incredible 2 review48:53 - Spotify and Facebook partner up, send Europe a friend request?50:55 - Sony makes good, doles out identity protection activation codes for PSN and Qriocity users51:28 - TweetDeck and Twitter, together at last54:00 - Duke Nukem Forever goes gold, will meet promised June deadline (really!)Hear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot comTwitter: @tim_stevens @bheater
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.
Sony aiming for May 31st PSN service restoration [Updated]
Sony's network security woes continued over the weekend, and the light at the end of the tunnel still seems like a distant pin prick for the embattled gaming giant and its displaced customers. Bloomberg reports that Sony spokesman Shigenori Yoshida indicated the company plans to restart Playstation Network services by May 31st, which would bring the total downtime to a whopping 41 days. Nick Caplin, head of communications for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, posted an update to the European PlayStation blog hinting at the reasons for a longer delay. "We expected to have the services online within a week. We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system," he wrote. While the PS3 versions of both Free Realms and DC Universe Online fall under the PSN umbrella, no word has been forthcoming as to a restart date for the rest of SOE's MMO stable, which includes the PC versions of the aforementioned titles as well as EverQuest and EverQuest II. [Update: CNET is reporting that Sony is considering a reward for information leading to the capture of the hackers. Meanwhile, Sony is apparently contesting reports about the May 31st date, suggesting no such hard deadline for PSN resumption exists.]
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.
