Millions of Sony PlayStation and Qriocity service users have had all their personal information compromised as a result of the hack into both systems that occurred on 17th April, according to Patrick Seybold, senior director of Corporate Communications and Social Media.
PlayStation, in a post on the official Sony PlayStation blog, says there is currently no evidence to suggest credit card details have been stolen, but is warning both PlayStation Network users and Qriocity users to be wary of any communications asking for credit card information.
“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,” said Seybold in the blog post.
Sony has confirmed that information that has been accessed by hackers includes users’ names, addresses with their city, state and zip code, country, email address, birthdates, PlayStation Network and Qriocity passwords and logins, and handle and PSN online IDs.
Sony has said that it is also possible profile data, including purchase history and billing address with the city, state and zip code, and users PlayStation Network and Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained.
“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,” said Seybold.
“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.”
As yet, neither the Sony PlayStation Network, not the Qriocity sites are back up although Seybold said some services may be up within a week.
“These malicious actions have also had an impact on your ability to enjoy the services provided by PlayStation Network and Qriocity including online gaming and online access to music, movies, sports and TV shows. We have a clear path to have PlayStation Network and Qriocity systems back online, and expect to restore some services within a week,” he said.
The company said it is currently working night and day to restore the systems and has hired an outside, recognised security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened.
Sony PlayStation is also taking steps to enhance security and strengthen its network infrastructure by re-building the system.
The company has also provided the names and contact information for the three major US credit bureaus who can place a fraud alert on a users file, which will alert creditors to take additional steps to verify the users identity prior to granting credit.
