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Sony Rebuilding PlayStation Network Security After Attack

alphadogg writes "The outage of Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity service, now in its fourth day, looks set to continue after the company said on Sunday that it is 'rebuilding' its system to better guard against attacks. Sony said on Saturday that the outage was caused by an 'external intrusion' into the network, but has yet to detail the problem. The PlayStation Network is used for PlayStation 3 online gaming and sales of software to consoles and the PlayStation Portable. The Qriocity service runs on the same network infrastructure and provides audio and video to Sony consumer electronics products."

19 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. What happened? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Someone insert a Sony music CD into a computer there?

    1. Re:What happened? by Shikaku · · Score: 3, Funny

      Comment of the year, thread over, everyone go home.

    2. Re:What happened? by magamiako1 · · Score: 4, Informative

      THey upgraded the firmware on the PS3s and removed the "Other OS" option, crippling the PSN :P

    3. Re:What happened? by naz404 · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'll just leave this here. Funny IT pro story: The website goes down because someone removed the X-Box.

      (sorry forgot link in previous post)

  2. Obviously... by msauve · · Score: 4, Funny

    no backups.

    --
    "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
  3. Re:How bad? by moniker · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Nonexistent.

    Sony probably relied entirely on client side security, assuming that the PS3 was unbreakable.

    That, and thanks to their attempts to keep people on the latest "secure" firmware, PSN services that shouldn't be PSN services like Netflix and Hulu are now hosed (except for some people who apparently use the same password for all their accounts and can hit cancel at the login screen). If Netflix hadn't allowed the PSN-free disc to be disabled, we could be using it right now.

  4. Re:Free Service vs. Pay Service by Required+Snark · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Isn't that like saying that Windows should have fewer security holes then Linux because they charge for the product and are therefore able to put more money into it? It's nonsense.

    In a weird way, your question mimics the claim made by MicroSoft: Windows is better because you have to pay for it, and so MS has a stake in providing a good and reliable user experience. In fact, this argument works in some business/government circles, because they feel that without a business organization backing up the product, there is no accountability.

    So for some users, it is NOT nonsense. Even when real world experience shows MS does a worse job then open source alternatives.

    --
    Why is Snark Required?
  5. In Soviet Russia... by qubezz · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Soviet Russia ... customers cripple Sony's hardware!

  6. Re:Fuck Geohot by NoAkai · · Score: 4, Insightful

    And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why gamers will never be taken seriously. This attitude of "Fuck rights! I want mah GAEMS!" that has been displayed by many gamers during the entire GeoHot Vs Sony episode has me seriously perplexed.

  7. Netflix by pitchpipe · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those of you that use your PS3 mainly for streaming Netflix (like me), just keep hitting login after you've gone to the red 'Netflix' screen. It will try to login and fail about 3 to 5 times in a row. Then you will be able to access your Netflix account like normal.

    --
    Look where all this talking got us, baby.
  8. Re:Fuck Geohot by The+End+Of+Days · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Whose right to what is being protected by this attack?

  9. Re:Free Service vs. Pay Service by RobbieCrash · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The only thing Xbox LIVE gives you over PSN is cross game voice chat and users dumb enough to pay 50 a year for the service.

    Looks like Live is also currently offering service to its customers.

    --
    Keep on knockin'
    https://robbiecrash.me
  10. Re:PSN being down a result of... by macsuibhne · · Score: 3, Informative

    This dude's blog seems to be an "official" source:

    http://blog.us.playstation.com/author/pseybold/

    Tony.

    --
    -- "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" -- Juvenal
  11. Re:Fuck Geohot by Raenex · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You've got to be kidding me. GeoHot and fail0verflow uncovered security flaws, and some pathetic gamer responds that they should be shot in the head. Sony was the one to act like a bunch of Gestapo in response to the security flaws. GeoHot and fail0verflow are not responsible for any attacks on Sony's network.

    The parent poster also said nothing about supporting attacks on Sony's network, and Anonymous has disavowed that this is their doing. For all anybody knows, Sony is having trouble of their own making and blaming it on outside parties.

  12. Re:Fuck Geohot by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Their "overreaction" is the same for any company."

    Intentionally or not, you have posted a falsehood. You need look no further than Bill Gates to prove that. Allow me to quote or misquote him:

    "We would rather have them pirating our operating system, than using the competition's operating system!" Microsoft can and will go after business concerns for piracy, but they do not prosecute Random Joe Hacker.

    --
    "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
  13. Re:Fuck Geohot by milkmage · · Score: 3, Insightful

    what does Apple do to jailbreakers? nothing.
    what does MS do to non commercial pirates? nothing. (except for the genuine advantage check)
    what does Bilzzard/Activation do to WoW cheaters? ban/suspend account and associated credit cards.
    what does MS do the XBLA cheaters? ban account/console

    Sony is doing what the RIAA/MPAA does (maybe because they members of both?)

    software piracy has been around long before music/movie piracy - i can't rememer a single incident where software companies filed john does against everyone they THOUGHT stole something.

    they settled because:
    1) the PR shitstorm
    2) economic impact (they can't undo the damage - their resources are best spend mitigating it - ban the consoles and credit cards
    3) weak case - it's not clear (to me) that GeoHot did anything against their TOS. which clause was violated? win or lose the lawsuit the key is still out there. why did the EFF coume out AGAINST Sony? http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/01/sony-v-hotz-sony-sends-dangerous-message

    i say again - by doing what they did, they brought this on themselves.

  14. PSN by Rotting · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I wonder if the system that was compromised contained the credit card data they have stored for the PSN accounts.

    1. Re:PSN by TheNinjaroach · · Score: 3, Informative

      I can't imagine the PSN is anything less than PCI-E compliant. That means they can't store the credit card number -- only the last four digits of it. The first time they charge your card, an authorization number is provided along with the transaction. Future transactions then re-use that authorization number, which is validated to make sure that the repeated transactions come only from the same merchant as the initial charge.

      --
      I went to eat some animal crackers and the box said, "Do not eat if seal is broken." I opened the box and sure enough..
  15. Well I'm sure they will refund me for not using it by gearloos · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sony is such a wonderful company, I'm sure they will be happy to give me a partial refund for not being able to use the GT5 online features this month. They were so nice when they told me they would automatically remove the other OS software for me, I didn't have to do a thing. Just agree to let them do it. If I didn't agree, I was no longer able to use the PS3 for any network games as promised, but I give them that one- they knew it was for my own good. They were also really looking out for me and even put software on music CD's and DVD's (the last place you would expect to find executable code) and it would install all by itself and I didn't even have to worry about all the windows setup junk. To top it off, they even scanned my hard drive to let me know if anyone had put shared music on it! all for free! they never charged me a thing for doing any of this! What a nice company. Obama even went and had his recent fund raiser at Sony. They must be great! No politician would ever be dirty!

    --
    "Computers are a lot like Air Conditioners" "They both work great until you start opening Windows"