Sony: PlayStation Network and Qriocity members personal details taken

Bad news for members

Sony?has admitted that its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have been compromised, leaving millions of member’s credit card details, address, phone numbers and even their dates of birth at possible risk to spam and fraud around the world after a hacker was able to break into the company's system.

"Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID," stated Sony in an email sent out to customers.?

"It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained."

In an?separate?email to Pocket-lint Sony has outlined what the problem is and how it could affect all of the 77 million members and counting of the two services.

"We are currently working to send a similar message to the one below via email to all of our registered account holders regarding a compromise of personal information as a result of an illegal intrusion on our systems," Sony tells us.?

"These malicious actions have also had an impact on your ability to enjoy the services provided by PlayStation Network and Qriocity including online gaming and online access to music, movies, sports and TV shows.?

"We have a clear path to have PlayStation Network and Qriocity systems back online, and expect to restore some services within a week.

"We're working day and night to ensure it is done as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience and feedback."

The two services were taken offline over the weekend much to the annoyance of gamers hoping to get in some quality gaming time over the Easter weekend, however until now no real information has been given.

The news will be a blow to the company, who is hoping that both the music service, and more importantly its gaming service, will reap huge financial benefits to the company as it looks to compete against Microsoft's Xbox 360 LIVE service.

It also comes as the company on Monday announced that it will be launching two Android powered tablets in the Autumn. Both models are aimed at heavily promoting Sony's entertainment services via the PlayStation Network and Qriocity.

Sony stress however there are no reported incidents of members credit cards being used, as yet, however are keen to stress that members should be?vigilant over the next couple of months.

Sony states that it is as "upset as you are regarding this attack and are going to proceed aggressively to track down those that are responsible."

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The email to customers in full:

Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:

We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:

1)???? Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;

2)???? Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and

3)???? Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID.

It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained.

If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking.? When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports.? We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it:???

U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus.? To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free (877) 322-8228.

We have also provided names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus below.? At no charge, U.S. residents can have these credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name.? This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name.? Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity.? As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file.? Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below.

Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft.? Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC.? For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone (877) 566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov.? For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: (888) 743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience.? Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority.? Please contact us at 1-800-345-7669 should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment"

Tags: Gaming Audio Sony PS3 Hacking Playstation Network

Sony: PlayStation Network and Qriocity members personal details taken originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:18:00 +0100

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