By IAN SHERR
Sony Corp. said a hacker has obtained customer information, potentially including credit-card numbers, for the 77 million members of its online PlayStation Network, which has forced the company to take down its service.
The Japanese electronics giant said it has informed PlayStation Network customers that personal information—including names, addresses, billing history and birthdays—was obtained by an "unauthorized person" following a hacking attack that caused Sony to shut down its Internet gaming service last week. Sony said customer credit-card numbers may also have been compromised.
"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," the company said in a blog post Tuesday.The Japanese game maker said it has hired a security firm to conduct an investigation into what happened. In the mean time, Sony said it expects to restore its Internet gaming service within a week.
The network connects 77 million global PlayStation customers over the Internet, letting them play videogames and chat together. Users can also use the service on their game console to rent movies or TV shows.
"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" as well as the user password and login for Sony's service, the company said.
"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."n
The company said while there was no evidence that credit card data was taken, "we cannot rule out the possibility." It advised users to change the their log on and password once the PlayStation Network service is restored, and to change those passwords if they are used for other accounts.
Sony Corp. said a hacker has obtained customer information, potentially including credit-card numbers, for the 77 million members of its online PlayStation Network, which has forced the company to take down its service.
The Japanese electronics giant said it has informed PlayStation Network customers that personal information—including names, addresses, billing history and birthdays—was obtained by an "unauthorized person" following a hacking attack that caused Sony to shut down its Internet gaming service last week. Sony said customer credit-card numbers may also have been compromised.
"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," the company said in a blog post Tuesday.The Japanese game maker said it has hired a security firm to conduct an investigation into what happened. In the mean time, Sony said it expects to restore its Internet gaming service within a week.
The network connects 77 million global PlayStation customers over the Internet, letting them play videogames and chat together. Users can also use the service on their game console to rent movies or TV shows.
"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" as well as the user password and login for Sony's service, the company said.
"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."n
The company said while there was no evidence that credit card data was taken, "we cannot rule out the possibility." It advised users to change the their log on and password once the PlayStation Network service is restored, and to change those passwords if they are used for other accounts.
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