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Showing posts with label SONY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SONY. Show all posts

Sony PlayStation Store Resumes Service, Finally!

Posted by Abhishek Friday, 3 June 2011 0 comments


After being taken down for more than a month, the PlayStation Network finally resumed services. Although the PlayStation Store was disabled for a while in the beggining, it is now up as well.  So as of now, all services including its music service, called Qriocity, have been enabled, except the Welcome Back package. The service resumed first  in some areas of America, Europe, and parts of Asia, and is now reported up in all parts of the world.
In the line of fire...
Gamers await free game bundles


The new store comes online with a ton of content that includes trial games, free games, DLC packs, and avatars. Players weren’t able to make purchases all the while that the network was disabled. Several game launches were affected. For example, gamers couldn’t use any redeem codes for the popular Dirt 3 title without the PlayStation Store. The news comes just when some of Sony’s other services have been under attack by other hacking groups. The Welcome Back program that includes the option to download a few games for free and the trial PSN+ feature is expected to be made available sometime soon.

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A Series of Sony Websites Hacked

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Sony recently announced that the restoration of the PlayStation Network would be complete by the end of this week; however, the multinational corporation has been victimized yet again with a number of their websites including Sony Pictures, Sony Music Belgium, and Sony Music Netherlands being hacked. Hacker group Lulzsec has claimed responsibility for stealing information of around 100,000 users’ personal information that includes passwords, email addresses, home addresses, dates of birth, as well as Sony optional information that is related to their Sony accounts.

Lulzsec has set sail for Sont to fail!
Lulzsec has set sail for Sony to fail!


The group has been promising attacks on Sony since a week claiming “the beginning of the end for Sony.” According to Lulzsec’s post on Pastebin, in addition to the stolen user data, the group is also in possession of admin details of Sony Pictures (including passwords) along with 75,000 'music codes' and 3.5 million 'music coupons.’ Lulzsec said that they did not have the resources to copy all the information but are posting samples to prove the information gathered is genuine. More information could have been gathered but it would take several more weeks to be acquired.

The hacker group said that gaining access to the network wasn’t a difficult task and all it required was a single SQL injection. What was worse was that every bit of data they took wasn't encrypted. Sony stored over 1,000,000 passwords of its customers in plaintext, which means it's just a matter of taking it. Criticizing Sony’s security measures the hacker group said that this was disgraceful and insecure and Sony was asking for it. Lulzsec posted on their Twitter page that they would accept contributions in the form of BitCoin virtual currency that will be used to help it do more hacking.

This comes as major blow to the company that has announced the restoration of its PSN services

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Sony Evaluating Compensation for PlayStation Network Downtime

Posted by Abhishek Friday, 29 April 2011 0 comments

Sony said in a Friday blog post that it is considering how to "show appreciation" for its customers' patience in dealing with the ongoing PlayStation Network outage.
Sony Online Entertainment also said that it will be holding "special events" for subscribers to its "DC Universe Online" and "Free Realms" massively multiplayer online games.
Sony's online network has been down since April 20, when the company took down the PlayStation Network and the related Qriocity cloud music service due to a external intrusion, or hack into the network. Sony has since been sued over the hack, accusing the company of failing to adequately protect, encrypt, and secure its customer data. The suit seeks damages for the data loss and PlayStation Network downtime.
That may have been on Sony's mind on Friday, when the company's latest blog post addressed what will happen to customer's saved games, data, and other aspects of game play.
Perhaps the most interesting bit of information is listed at the bottom, however: "Will there be a goodwill gesture for the time we haven't been able to utilize PSN/Qriocity?" the blog's FAQ asks. "We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online."
The blog also addresses the two MMOs.
"What if we have a subscription to PS3 MMOs DC Universe Online or Free Realms? Will we get compensation for that?" it asks.
"From Sony Online Entertainment: 'We apologize for any inconvenience players may have experienced as a result of the recent service interruption,'" the FAQ states. "'As a global leader in online gaming, SOE is committed to delivering stable and entertaining games for players of all ages. To thank players for their patience, we will be hosting special events across our game portfolio. We are also working on a "make good" plan for players of the PS3 versions of DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Details will be available soon on the individual game websites and forums.'"
Sony also goes on to say that download lists, friends history, and settings will not be affected, and that trophies (Sony's version of the Xbox "Achievements") will also be intact and sync with the server when the PSN is restored. Cloud saves will also be "retrievable," Sony said.
Sony has also said previously that its credit-card data has been encrypted, theoretically preventing it from being stolen. Still, it said, it cannot rule out the possibility that it was obtained by the hackers.
On Friday, reports circulated that the credit-card information had in face been obtained and was being circulated by hackers.

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Sony Evaluating Compensation for PlayStation Network Downtime

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments

Sony said in a Friday blog post that it is considering how to "show appreciation" for its customers' patience in dealing with the ongoing PlayStation Network outage.
Sony Online Entertainment also said that it will be holding "special events" for subscribers to its "DC Universe Online" and "Free Realms" massively multiplayer online games.
Sony's online network has been down since April 20, when the company took down the PlayStation Network and the related Qriocity cloud music service due to a external intrusion, or hack into the network. Sony has since been sued over the hack, accusing the company of failing to adequately protect, encrypt, and secure its customer data. The suit seeks damages for the data loss and PlayStation Network downtime.
That may have been on Sony's mind on Friday, when the company's latest blog post addressed what will happen to customer's saved games, data, and other aspects of game play.
Perhaps the most interesting bit of information is listed at the bottom, however: "Will there be a goodwill gesture for the time we haven't been able to utilize PSN/Qriocity?" the blog's FAQ asks. "We are currently evaluating ways to show appreciation for your extraordinary patience as we work to get these services back online."
The blog also addresses the two MMOs.
"What if we have a subscription to PS3 MMOs DC Universe Online or Free Realms? Will we get compensation for that?" it asks.
"From Sony Online Entertainment: 'We apologize for any inconvenience players may have experienced as a result of the recent service interruption,'" the FAQ states. "'As a global leader in online gaming, SOE is committed to delivering stable and entertaining games for players of all ages. To thank players for their patience, we will be hosting special events across our game portfolio. We are also working on a "make good" plan for players of the PS3 versions of DC Universe Online and Free Realms. Details will be available soon on the individual game websites and forums.'"
Sony also goes on to say that download lists, friends history, and settings will not be affected, and that trophies (Sony's version of the Xbox "Achievements") will also be intact and sync with the server when the PSN is restored. Cloud saves will also be "retrievable," Sony said.
Sony has also said previously that its credit-card data has been encrypted, theoretically preventing it from being stolen. Still, it said, it cannot rule out the possibility that it was obtained by the hackers.
On Friday, reports circulated that the credit-card information had in face been obtained and was being circulated by hackers.

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Sony sued for PlayStation Network data breach

Posted by Abhishek Wednesday, 27 April 2011 0 comments


Like clockwork, the first lawsuit resulting from the security breach of the personal data of more than 75 million Sony PlayStation Network customers has been filed.
The suit was filed today on behalf of Kristopher Johns, 36, of Birmingham, Ala., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Johns accuses Sony of not taking "reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users."
He also believes Sony took too long to notify him and other customers that their personal information had been exposed. Because of that, the complaint alleges, Sony did not allow its customers "to make an informed decision as to whether to change credit card numbers, close the exposed accounts, check their credit reports, or take other mitigating actions."
The lawsuit is asking for monetary compensation and free credit card monitoring, and is seeking class action status.
Yesterday, Sony warned customers of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity service that their personal information--including customer names, addresses, e-mail addresses, birthdays, PlayStation Network and Qriocity passwords, and user names, as well as online user handles--was obtained illegally by an "unauthorized person" between April 17 and 19. The company says there is "no evidence" that credit card information was compromised, but it can't be sure yet.
In the aftermath of the breach Sony has temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity, contracted with an outside security firm to investigate the intrusion on its network, and started to rebuild its system and security.
Johns' complaint echoes the concerns of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. Blumenthal yesterday wrote a letter to Jack Tretton, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, saying he was troubled that the company had not notified customers sooner about the breach. He also called for Sony to provide affected customers with financial data security services, including free access to credit reporting services for two years to protect against identity theft.

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Sony sued for PlayStation Network data breach

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Like clockwork, the first lawsuit resulting from the security breach of the personal data of more than 75 million Sony PlayStation Network customers has been filed.
The suit was filed today on behalf of Kristopher Johns, 36, of Birmingham, Ala., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Johns accuses Sony of not taking "reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users."
He also believes Sony took too long to notify him and other customers that their personal information had been exposed. Because of that, the complaint alleges, Sony did not allow its customers "to make an informed decision as to whether to change credit card numbers, close the exposed accounts, check their credit reports, or take other mitigating actions."
The lawsuit is asking for monetary compensation and free credit card monitoring, and is seeking class action status.
Yesterday, Sony warned customers of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity service that their personal information--including customer names, addresses, e-mail addresses, birthdays, PlayStation Network and Qriocity passwords, and user names, as well as online user handles--was obtained illegally by an "unauthorized person" between April 17 and 19. The company says there is "no evidence" that credit card information was compromised, but it can't be sure yet.
In the aftermath of the breach Sony has temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity, contracted with an outside security firm to investigate the intrusion on its network, and started to rebuild its system and security.
Johns' complaint echoes the concerns of Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat. Blumenthal yesterday wrote a letter to Jack Tretton, president and chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment America, saying he was troubled that the company had not notified customers sooner about the breach. He also called for Sony to provide affected customers with financial data security services, including free access to credit reporting services for two years to protect against identity theft.

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Sony Ericsson announces W8 Walkman phone

Posted by Abhishek Thursday, 21 April 2011 0 comments


Using just a post on its Web site, Sony Ericsson unceremoniously unveiled its next Android-powered phone today, the W8 Walkman. Looking nearly identical to last summer's Xperia X8, the smartphone features a 3-inch touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a 600MHz processor.
The W8 Walkman runs Android 2.1 with Sony Ericsson's custom Timescape UI so it should be able to run most games and applications. Virtually indistinguishable from the Xperia X8, both offer Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth support as well. I might expect apps centered around music and media playback, but the Sony Ericsson blog mentions new or exciting.
Initially, the W8 Walkman phone will be offered in Asia-Pacific markets in three color options: Azure Blue, Metallic Red, and Iconic Orange. As of this time there are no indications that we'll see this phone at a U.S. carrier.


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Sony Ericsson announces W8 Walkman phone

Posted by Abhishek 0 comments


Using just a post on its Web site, Sony Ericsson unceremoniously unveiled its next Android-powered phone today, the W8 Walkman. Looking nearly identical to last summer's Xperia X8, the smartphone features a 3-inch touch screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a 600MHz processor.
The W8 Walkman runs Android 2.1 with Sony Ericsson's custom Timescape UI so it should be able to run most games and applications. Virtually indistinguishable from the Xperia X8, both offer Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth support as well. I might expect apps centered around music and media playback, but the Sony Ericsson blog mentions new or exciting.
Initially, the W8 Walkman phone will be offered in Asia-Pacific markets in three color options: Azure Blue, Metallic Red, and Iconic Orange. As of this time there are no indications that we'll see this phone at a U.S. carrier.


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