May 15, 2011

PlayStation Network Hack Timeline

The header says this is also a place for electronics news and I haven't really discussed any news stories since the impending release of the iPad 2. For anyone who isn't already aware, the PlayStation Network has begun to come back online all across the world so I put together a little timeline to show the back story.











My Thoughts:
As a PS3 owner myself, I was directly impacted when this news story broke. Since then, I have had to reset the password I use to login to various subscription services, cancel my credit card, and had my Facebook page hacked (I am not saying the two are related but the timing is hard to ignore). Still, through this whole ordeal the only thing that really bothered me was how long Sony waited to tell people that there was an intrusion on the network. Even if they felt that credit card information was not at stake, they knew early on that data from their servers had been copied or, in some cases, removed and that is enough justification to let people know so they can protect themselves. As far as I know no one has yet come forward with cases of credit card fraud related to the PSN hack, which can probably be attributed to the encryption Sony added to credit card information. 

A month has now passed since Sony's network was first compromised, but that duration doesn't bother me as much as it probably bothers some other people. You have to consider Sony's perspective on this entire issue. Right now, they are in damage control mode. If they put the network back online too soon, they leave themselves open to getting hacked immediately afterward, which would cost the company and all companies that profit from the PSN billions of dollars in total revenue. I have faith that Sony is doing all they can to patch the holes and prevent anything like this from happening again. Frankly, I think they have to be ready for future attempts because this issue is so widespread now that hackers everywhere can't wait to take a crack at breaking through the new security. 

I have my doubts about trusting Sony with personal information again but they aren't strong enough to put me off the network completely. A few months of steady operation of all PSN services will ease any tension. Until then, I'll just have to put off getting the Portal 2 DLC until I feel confident that the PSN is still alive.

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