Your information has been compromised! No, really… it has. Well, if you are a member of the PlayStation Network it has. Earlier this week I heard reports that PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information had been compromised. This was all in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into the network. Regardless of the intrusion, reports are saying that names, email addresses, mailing addresses, and even credit card information has been compromised. When you signed up for your account, and threw that information their way… it became their responsibility. Of course, this encroachment is being called illegal and unauthorized. Of course it was illegal and unauthorized… who at Sony would authorize something like this?
Earlier today I got an email from Sony regarding the issue. It was nice to have their continued communication regarding this issue. They are taking the blame (who else could you blame) and they are doing whatever they can to cover their own behinds. But again, it was nice of them to keep all the PlayStation Network members in the loop. If you are a member I am sure you got an email as well. Just check your inbox.
I wanted to share with you what that email said for a few reasons. First off, I wanted to make sure all my readers who are members were aware of what happened. I also wanted to make sure I did my part by sharing this vital information through the outlet that has been created here. So whether you play video games or not, this issue will affect a lot of people. Millions of people, actually.
Sony stated that they have:
1. Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.
2. Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened.
3. Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by rebuilding our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.
We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.
Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.
For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them as well.
To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it: – US residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free 877-322-8228.
We have also provided names and contact information for the three major US credit bureaus below. At no charge, US residents can have these credit bureaus place a “fraud alert” on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name. This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:
Experian: 888-397-3742 – www.experian.com – PO Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285 – www.equifax.com – PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289 – www.transunion.com – Fraud Victim Assistance Division, PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
You may wish to visit the website of the US Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or reach the FTC at 877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft. Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone 877-566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: 888-743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.
We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information.
Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at 800-345-7669 should you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment
I don’t know about you, but I feel better knowing that they are at least aware of the issues. Chances are these hackers just wanted to prove they could do it. Not sure they are out there buying cheeseburgers with my credit card information. If they are, hold the onions!
