Sony's PlayStation Network has been breached by hackers, giving them access to the data of millions of users. Photograph: Julian Stratenschulte/Picture Alliance/PhotoshotSony could only promise that the hacked PlayStation Network would start coming back online within six days, as the company's engineers grapple with the consequences of security breach that affected 77 million users.
The maker of the PS3 console issued a blogpost update, saying that "some services" would be up and running "within a week from yesterday", such is the gravity of the situation.
In a message posted on the US PlayStation blog, Patrick Seybold, SCEA's director or corporate communications, offered a string of apologies.
He said that he understood that the situation was "frustrating" for consumers, adding "we know you are upset" and "we sincerely regret any inconvenience". He promised that the company was "taking steps to make our services safer and more secure than ever before".
The post goes on to answer a series of questions about the hack, in which the personal details of the network's 77 million users may have been obtained. Sony claims it is working with law enforcement to investigate the attack.
The company has also pointed out that "the entire credit card table" was encrypted, answering suggestions from gamers and the media that this sensitive data was stored unprotected. At the time of writing there is still no firm evidence that this data was taken.
However, Sony has admitted that personal data (names, addresses, birthdates, etc) was NOT encrypted: "But was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack." The new FAQ also mentions that all PSN users will be required to change their passwords when logging on to the system when it re-emerges.
As for the company's attempts to ensure there is no repeat of the attack, the blogpost states:
Moving forward, we are initiating several measures that will significantly enhance all aspects of PlayStation Network's security and your personal data, including moving our network infrastructure and data center to a new, more secure location, which is already under way. We will provide additional information on these measures shortly.
The attack, which took place between 17 and 19 April, forced Sony to shut down the PSN, which allows owners of PlayStation consoles to play online games and rent movies.
• Check out our guide to the PSN hack for more information.
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