Looks Like it Was a Bad Week for Sony. . .

Devilsbane

colemic wrote: »

Wow. I'm not a gamer, but are you paying for this? Are you still being charged?

Nope, it's free. I really barely use it but I still find it ridiculous. More than anything I just want to find out which password I used to see if I used it for anything else as well.

Slowhand

Looks like PSN is finally back up: Play On – PSN Restoration Begins Now

And it only took 25 days. Right now, just about everyone I know who identifies as a gamer has said that they either will not be buying a PS3, or has traded in their PS3 for an XBox 360. Looks like the bell's really started tolling for Sony after all this.

[UPDATE]
Here's a video from Kazuo Hirai, the current CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment: PlayStation Network Restoration Announcement

And a blog entry regarding some new security for PSN users: PS3 System Software Update

Devilsbane

Slowhand wrote: »

Looks like PSN is finally back up: Play On – PSN Restoration Begins Now

I just spent the last hour trying to crack my password. The bad news is that it took forever. The good news is that I finally got it, and the best news is that I have no idea why I selected the password that I did. I don't think I've ever used it for anything.

Time to change it as requested and move on with life.

Update: Just removed my credit card, and if I decide I need funds for something, amazon sells instant psn cards.

Everyone

This affected a lot more than just PSN. I got an e-mail from Sony Online Entertainment during all this saying "Oops we may have lost your info". I don't currently own, nor have I ever owned a Playstation. I did however have an SOE account about 12 years ago when I played EverQuest on the PC for about a year. The information is so old it'd be pretty much useless now so I'm not concerned.

Hypntick

Saw that it came back up yesterday. Logged in, changed my password and went back to doing what I was doing previously. I rarely if ever get on the PSN as I do my online gaming on my PC. I mainly use my PS3 to play PS2 games or watch movies, so this outage really hasn't caused me any issues aside from Netflix trying to log itself in all the time.

As for getting rid of it to buy a 360, there is nothing on that console I care to play that isn't either on the Ps3 or PC so I really have no need of it.

Lizano

Despite this, I'm still overall satisfied with my PS3 and have no plans of turning it back in and changing it for a X-Box, I pretty much still like the box alot. Is anybody else on my boat or are you not forgiving Sony on this one?

Devilsbane

Lizano wrote: »

Despite this, I'm still overall satisfied with my PS3 and have no plans of turning it back in and changing it for a X-Box, I pretty much still like the box alot. Is anybody else on my boat or are you not forgiving Sony on this one?

I was frustrated with the whole mess, but I'm not about to go turn my PlayStation in. The fact of the matter is that virtually every system can be broken into. I don't doubt that Sony made every effort to secure the data and I expect that they will make an even larger effort going forward (fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me kind of thing).

The incident has made me rethink some things, but tomorrow it could be Microsoft that gets broken into, or even the IRS.

Xcluziv

Hypntick wrote: »

Saw that it came back up yesterday. Logged in, changed my password and went back to doing what I was doing previously. I rarely if ever get on the PSN as I do my online gaming on my PC. I mainly use my PS3 to play PS2 games or watch movies, so this outage really hasn't caused me any issues aside from Netflix trying to log itself in all the time.

As for getting rid of it to buy a 360, there is nothing on that console I care to play that isn't either on the Ps3 or PC so I really have no need of it.

I was still able to watch Netflix when the PSN was down, were you?

@Devilsbane I agree, I'm sure Microsoft/XBOX have stepped up there security as well to make sure the same thing does not happen to their network to reduce the hacker risk

Devilsbane

Xcluziv wrote: »

I was still able to watch Netflix when the PSN was down, were you?

I heard people who could, but I wasn't. I kept cancelling out when it tried to sign in. Eventually I would get to the movie selection point, select a movie which would start loading and get an error that it wasn't connecting to the PSN network. Clicked ok on that (only option) and it returned to the movie selection page. I tried 3 different movies on 2 occasions and eventuall gave up.

Hypntick

Xcluziv wrote: »

I was still able to watch Netflix when the PSN was down, were you?

@Devilsbane I agree, I'm sure Microsoft/XBOX have stepped up there security as well to make sure the same thing does not happen to their network to reduce the hacker risk

Yep worked fine for me, just kept asking me to log back in to the PSN which would time out. No big deal, just a little annoying.

Dakinggamer87

I'm glad PSN is finally back online so I can play Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat. LA Noire is out today which I can't wait to play after work tonight.

Forsaken_GA

So they bring the PSN back up, force passwords to be reset by entering email address and date of birth.....

Apparently, there's not one working brain cell in that entire organization. Yes, lets please allow passwords to be reset via the use of information that was part of what was stolen from your organization, thereby prompting the necessity to reset passwords in the first place.

Complete and utter idiocy

colemic

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

So they bring the PSN back up, force passwords to be reset by entering email address and date of birth.....

Apparently, there's not one working brain cell in that entire organization. Yes, lets please allow passwords to be reset via the use of information that was part of what was stolen from your organization, thereby prompting the necessity to reset passwords in the first place.

Complete and utter idiocy

...

ROFL at that, your personal experience or did you read it? Would love to find that in an anrticle to send out to my coworkers.

Forsaken_GA

colemic wrote: »

...

ROFL at that, your personal experience or did you read it? Would love to find that in an anrticle to send out to my coworkers.

The article was on slashdot, here's a link:

Nyleveia - Sony Warning All PSN Users: Accounts are still not safe.

jamesp1983

so essentially they just moved the "we are down for maintenance" message from the console to the web page. come on...

Raidersfan81

Yeah they were down for a while. Damn hackers!

Devilsbane

More bad news, but not quite as bad.

Maximum PC | Phishing Site Found on Sony's Servers

Just as the Japanese company was pulling itself out of the hole following the PSN and SOE hacks, a phishing site has been found living on Sony's servers. The site is hosted on a sub-domain of Sony's official Thailand site.

Slowhand

Not as quite as bad as the PSN breach, but definitely another black eye for Sony in the wake of all that's happened: Sony Hacked Again | Reuters

If there's one job I'm glad I don't have, it's anything to do with software or network security at Sony (or any of their partners,) right about now.

Devilsbane

Slowhand wrote: »

If there's one job I'm glad I don't have, it's anything to do with software or network security at Sony (or any of their partners,) right about now.

That's 3 black eyes now. How does that work?

Slowhand

Heh, didn't you know? Sony keeps getting the same eye punched, over and over.

instant000

Sony Troubles Continue With New Hack - Technology News - redOrbit

Devilsbane

Time for the benefits. Here is an email I received a couple weeks ago.

Identity Theft Protection Offer for PlayStation®Network and Qriocity™ Customers

Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment have made arrangements with Debix to offer AllClear ID PLUS to eligible PlayStation®Network and Qriocity account holders in the United States who are concerned about identity theft.

AllClear ID PLUS is a premium identity protection service that uses advanced technology to deliver alerts to help protect you from identity theft. The service also provides identity theft insurance coverage and hands-on help from expert fraud investigators.

Sony has arranged, at no charge to eligible PlayStation®Network and Qriocity account holders, for twelve months of this service to be provided by Debix to those who choose to enroll. In order to be eligible, account holders must be residents of the United States with active accounts as of April 20, 2011.

If interested, please submit your email address by June 28, 2011, at 11:59:59 PM CST at: us.playstation.com/news/consumeralerts/identity-theft-protection.

Please note, you must enter the same email address used to register your PlayStation®Network or Qriocity account. Once your email address is validated, you will be sent your AllClear ID PLUS activation code.

Sincerely,

Sony Computer Entertainment & Sony Network Entertainment

Better yet, here is what I received today.

Two Free PS3™ Games



All PlayStation®Network customers can select two PS3 games from the following list. The games will be available to download on PlayStation®Store for 30 days and are yours to keep.*

• InFAMOUS™
• Super Stardust™ HD
• WipEout® HD Bundle
• LittleBigPlanet™
• Dead Nation™

How to Get it
1. Log on to PlayStation®Store

2. Click on the “Welcome Back” tab in the upper left menu
3. Select “Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 1”
4. Within the category, click on the “Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 1” product and “Get Now”
5. Select your free PS3™ game*, and “Download”*
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with “Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 2”
7. Go to the XMB™ to play your free games.

*If you do not immediately select your free game after downloading Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 1 or Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 2, you need to perform the following steps in order to claim your free game:
1. Exit PlayStation®Store
2. From the XMB™: select ‘Account Management’ -> ‘Transaction Management’ -> ‘Services List’ -> ‘SCEA Promotion’
3. Select ‘Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 1’ or ‘Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 2’ (whichever product has remaining uses)
4. Select ‘Select Content’ button and select your game

Due to high traffic on PlayStation Store, you may encounter error messages or issues. We advise you to check back a little later and try again.
If at any point you can't find the 'Welcome Back Free Game 1 or 2’ products, the list of available titles or a game you've selected, go to your XMB > PlayStation Network > Account Management > Transaction Management > Services List > SCEA Promotions to complete the process.






Two Free PSP® Games



For those with PSP accounts, you are eligible to download two PSP games from the following list.The games will be available to download on PlayStation®Store for 30 days and are yours to keep.*

• Killzone® Liberation
• LittleBigPlanet™ PSP
• ModNation™ Racers PSP
• Pursuit Force™

How to Get it
1. Log on to PlayStation®Store

2. Click on the “Welcome Back” tab in the upper left menu
3. Select “Welcome Back Free PSP® Game 1”
4. Within the category, click on the “Welcome Back Free PSP® Game 1” product and “Get Now”
5. Select your Free PSP® game*, and “Download”
6. Repeat steps 3-5 with “Welcome Back Free PSP® Game 2”
7. Go to the XMB™ to play your free games.

*If you do not immediately select your free game after downloading Welcome Back Free PSP® Game 1 or Welcome Back Free PS3™ Game 2, you need to perform the following steps in order to claim your free game:
1. Exit PlayStation®Store
2. From the XMB™: select ‘Account Management’ -> ‘Transaction Management’ -> ‘Services List’ -> ‘SCEA Promotion’
3. Select ‘Welcome Back Free PSP® Game 1’ or ‘Welcome Back Free PSP® Game 2’ (whichever product has remaining uses)
4. Select ‘Select Content’ button and select your game

Due to high traffic on PlayStation Store, you may encounter error messages or issues. We advise you to check back a little later and try again.
If at any point you can't find the 'Welcome Back Free Game 1 or 2’ products, the list of available titles or a game you've selected, go to your XMB > PlayStation Network > Account Management > Transaction Management > Services List > SCEA Promotions to complete the process.







PlayStation®Plus - 30 Days Free

Non-PlayStation®Plus subscribers will receive 30 days free of PlayStation®Plus, available to download on PlayStation®Store. No credit card or commitment required. An additional 60 free days of PlayStation®Plus will be added automatically for existing subscribers.

PlayStation®Plus is a premium subscription service that gets you free games, huge discounts and great exclusives.
How to Get it
1. Log on to PlayStation®Store
2. Click on the “Welcome Back” tab in the upper left menu
3. Select “PlayStation®Plus 30 Days Free”
Unlike a typical subscription, this will not auto renew, but rather will expire 30 days from the day you download.

Due to high traffic on PlayStation Store, you may encounter error messages or issues. We advise you to check back a little later and try again.







100 Free Virtual Items

To welcome users Home, PlayStation Home will be offering 100 free virtual items. Additional free content will be released soon, including the next addition to the Home Mansion personal space, and Ooblag’s Alien Casino, an exclusive game.
How to Get it
1. Log into PlayStation®Home.
2. Go to the kiosk in Central Plaza to get 100 free virtual items and two personal spaces – Dragon’s Lair and the Mansion Garage.
3. Visit Ooblag’s Alien Casino and get a free Ooblag game for your personal space (coming June 2011).







Music Subscription Extended

Existing Music Unlimited paid Premium and Basic subscribers will automatically receive replacement days for the outage, plus an additional 30 days of free service. Existing Music Unlimited Trial subscribers will automatically receive and additional 30 days of free service. Not a subscriber? Create an account and enjoy 30 days of free service here.

Devilsbane

Another bad week.

Maximum PC | Sony: 37,500 Accounts Compromised in Hacker Attack on Sony Pictures Website

"On June 2, 2011, we learned we were the target of a cyberattack when a hacker claimed that he had recently broken into sonypictures.com. Upon learning of this cyberattack, our team retained outside experts to conduct an investigation and forensic analysis," Sony said in a Consumer Alert posted today. "In addition, we promptly took offline all potentially affected databases containing personally identifiable information and contacted the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

tpatt100

And in other news I am seeing a lot of new security hiring in my area. So big headline hacks like this kind of benefits the IT community. I just see a lot of b.s. Products being sold to IT managers who want some kind of miracle solution vs training.

Slowhand

tpatt100 wrote: »

And in other news I am seeing a lot of new security hiring in my area. So big headline hacks like this kind of benefits the IT community. I just see a lot of b.s. Products being sold to IT managers who want some kind of miracle solution vs training.

Between Sony's debacle(s), the attack against Lockheed Martin, which seems to have stemmed from RSA being compromised, I'm fairly sure security's going to be hot for the coming year or so.

And while there's no doubt that there'll be plenty of "experts" coming out of the woodworks to make a quick buck on the security-craze springing up, we should all do our part to either become the best security admins we can, or stay the hell out of specialized IT security altogether, so we don't make things worse and give security (and in turn, security certifications,) a bad name.

Devilsbane

Rather than start a new thread... this sounds like the appropriate place to report 93,000 accounts hacked.

Sony: 93,000 PlayStation, Online Entertainment accounts hacked - latimes.com