Hackers give Sony another bad weekend
SONY endured another nightmare weekend as hackers heaped more misery on the embattled firm.
It has suffered a series of setbacks since falling prey to a massive security breach that compromised the accounts of more than 100m customers. It was forced to step in after hackers posted personal details – not including credit card information – of around 2,500 Sony users on the internet.
The information has since been removed but it was yet another stark reminder of the scale of the breach. Last week Sony was forced to admit 25m more customers than first thought had their personal information stolen when it revealed a second breach at the Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) division of the company.
It is understood both divisions were targeted as part of the same sustained attack but that Sony was unaware of this until much later. It was forced to shut down SOE in yet another blow to its sales. Sony has denied hackers attempted to sell it a list containing details of its users.
The electronics giant said it has begun to restore parts of its PlayStation Network after it became victim to one of the biggest ever cyber attacks last month.
However, customers are still unable to access the gaming and entertainment hub more than two weeks after the initial breach, with Sony desperate to ensure another attack would not succeed. Sony initially pledged to have the service up and running in about a week.
Calls for boss Howard Stringer to quit have intensified, with gamers furious about the ease with which hackers were able to gain access to the network and the subsequent clean-up operation. In response Sony has begun a PR-drive, including giving users free access to its premium content and paying credit card renewal fees in affected areas.