Back in February
if (i remember correctly) a unknown hacker (correct term: Cracker) released saying that he hacked into psn and was going threw ppl's info's said everything was uncrypted , basically there security sucked,And Personal Info was was stored as plain text
On 4-21-2011
Sony reported they would be down for up 2 days for due to "Network outage" u would get an error code "80710A0" they shut down servers but Rebug (wich is on developers servers) could still log on
Sony Official Statement :
"We’re aware certain functions of PlayStation Network are down. It may be a full day or two before we’re able to get the service completely back up and running. Please stay tuned to this space for more details, and we’ll update you again as soon as we can.
Thank you very much for your patience while we work to resolve this matter.
During this time you may:
Not be able to access the PlayStation®Store
Have difficulty signing in to the PlayStation®Network
Not be able to play online games
See a maintenance page when attempting to access the PlayStation®Network
Note: When you log into the PlayStation Network, a message may appear which states, “the PlayStation Network has been suspended”. This does not mean that your account has been suspended; it simply means the PlayStation Network has been taken offline. Please wait until the maintenance window has passed before attempting to connect to the PlayStation Network again. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
On 4-23-2011
Sony Took back there previous statement and explained the real reason why they turn off psn because they were hacked, (many blame a group of hackers known as "anonymous" but they also made a statement denying any involvement)
Sony Statement:
"An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. In order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward, we turned off PlayStation Network & Qriocity services on the evening of Wednesday, April 20th. Providing quality entertainment services to our customers and partners is our utmost priority. We are doing all we can to resolve this situation quickly, and we once again thank you for your patience. We will continue to update you promptly as we have additional information to share."
On 4-25-2011
Sony Said they decided to "completely rebuild psn" basically add more security
Sony Statement:
"Originally Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Mediapsn/qriocity services
We sincerely regret that PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have been suspended, and we are working around the clock to bring them both back online. Our efforts to resolve this matter involve re-building our system to further strengthen our network infrastructure. Though this task is time-consuming, we decided it was worth the time necessary to provide the system with additional security.
We thank you for your patience to date and ask for a little more while we move towards completion of this project. We will continue to give you updates as they become available."
On 4-26-2011
Sony Finally admits the reason for "re-building" customers personal information was leaked A well Known Hacker known as "SKFU" said 77million psn users info got dump from psn and that it could possibly been hacked by ip, released and image log showing a vulnerability in psn access.
Sony Statment
" Thank you for your patience while we work to resolve the current outage of PlayStation Network & Qriocity services. We are currently working to send a similar message to the one below via email to all of our registered account holders regarding a compromise of personal information as a result of an illegal intrusion on our systems. 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.
We’re working day and night to ensure it is done as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience and feedback.
Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:
We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:
Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;
Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and
Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building 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:
U.S. 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 U.S. credit bureaus below. At no charge, U.S. 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; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 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 1-800-345-7669 should you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,
Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment"
SKFU Statement:
" The PSN is down, all accounts got dumped by an anonymous hacker and the community is cryin’ for answers. 77 million accounts with password and sometimes CC info are worth a lot in several hack chans. This is a very huge case.
Now SONY engaged an external security company to discover the holes in SONY’s system and find answers. As I was wondering if there may be some information about the actual case we can find out publically, I researched a bit myself.
One interesting point I found is a not secured access log of a PSN environment(Check Image Below).
You will quickly notice the IP 214.1.211.251, which sends requests like a vulnerability scanner.
The IP points to the DoD Network Information Center, based in Ohio USA.
The first log entry of this IP is [03/Mar/2011:07:10:38 -0800]. As the DoD is knows as beeing easy to hack, the anonymous hacker could have used this as proxy.
Maybe SONY might want to take a look at this IP, I hope soon we get some news and details about the case…"VIEW IMAGE LOG
On 4-27-2011
Information Released on terms of service of psn which basically states any lose money sony wouldnt be hold accounted for. but in the uk there a law against that saying copanies are obligated to keep users detailed secure.
Information:
" It has emerged that part of Sony’s PSN terms and conditions claim that the company is not liable for any loss of user data!
“We exclude all liability for loss of data or unauthorised access to your data, Sony Online Network account or Sony Online Network wallet and for damage caused to your software or hardware as a result of using or accessing Sony Online Network,” the terms state.
However, speaking to Edge, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) claims that Sony is accountable to stipulations outlined in the UK Data Protection Act which says that companies are obligated to keep users’ details secure.
“While we are unable to say where the data is being stored at present, if it was in the UK, this clause would not free them from their obligations under the UK Data Protection Act,” ICO stated.
“If we found a breach, one of the actions we could take would be to issue an undertaking, which is an agreement between the ICO and the company that if they are handling personal information they have to bring about set improvements in order for them to be compliant with the act.
“If the company is not compliant with the act within a certain time limit, further action would be taken and we might consider an enforcement notice or issue a monetary penalty.
“For serious breaches of the act, we can issue a monetary penalty up to £500,000.”
On 4-28-2011
Sony releases some Q.A.
Sony Statement:
"PSN/Qriocity Network Outage FAQs
Question: When did the PSN/Qriocity become unavailable?
Answer: PSN/Qriocity services have not been available since April 20 (US time) in all regions.
Q: Why did the PSN/Qriocity become unavailable?
A: An external intrusion on our system has affected our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.
Q: Why was Sony not prepared for a compromise of its network?
A: We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the situation. Since this is an overall security related issue, we cannot comment further at this time.
Q: Has Sony identified the party or parties responsible for the PlayStation Network hack and subsequent theft of personal information?
A: We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the situation and are working closely with a recognized technology security firm and law enforcement in order to find those responsible for this criminal act no matter where in the world they might be located.
Q: When will the PlayStation Network and Qriocity be back online?
A: Our employees have been working day and night to restore operations as quickly as possible, and we expect to have some services up and running within a week from yesterday. However, we want to be very clear that we will only restore operations when we are confident that the network is secure.
Q: What steps is Sony taking to protect my personal data in the future?
A: We’ve taken several immediate steps to add protections for your personal data. First, we temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services and, second, we are enhancing security and strengthening our network infrastructure. 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 underway. We will provide additional information on these measures shortly.
Q: Did SOE experience an attack due to the same reason?
A: SOE’s services are currently available, but they did experience a service interruption due to an external attack. An investigation is ongoing.
Q: Have you had such a long PSN/Qriocity service termination like this one in the past?
A: No.
Q: Does PSN/Qriocity get attacked very often?
A: We cannot make any comments regarding this matter at this time.
Q: I want my money back (subscription fee, content) since the PSN/Qriocity was not available.
A: While we are still assessing the impact of this incident, we recognize that this may have had financial impact on our loyal customers. We are currently reviewing options and will update you when the service is restored.
Q: There seems to be some games that cannot be played even offline?
A: Some games may require access to PSN for trophy sync, security checks or other network functionality and therefore cannot be played offline.
Q: Why are Sony Online Entertainment services available while PSN and Qriocity are still down and you (SCE/Sony) are not able to even tell us when it will come back again?
A: As our investigation in this matter is ongoing, we cannot comment further on this matter.
Q: What personally identifying information do you suspect has been compromised?
A: Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information provided by PlayStation Network/Qriocity account holders: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birth date, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password, login, and handle/PSN online ID. Other profile data may also have been obtained, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip). If an account holder has authorized a sub-account for a dependent, the same data with respect to that dependent may have been obtained. If an account holder provided credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, it is possible that the credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may also have been obtained.
Q: Was my personal data encrypted?
A: All of the data was protected, and access was restricted both physically and through the perimeter and security of the network. The entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken. The personal data table, which is a separate data set, was not encrypted, but was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack.
Q: Was my credit card data taken?
A: While all credit card information stored in our systems is encrypted and 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. Keep in mind, however that your credit card security code (sometimes called a CVC or CSC number) has not been obtained because we never requested it from anyone who has joined the PlayStation Network or Qriocity, and is therefore not stored anywhere in our system.
Q: How will I know if my personal information has been compromised?
A: We have provided notices to consumers at the email addresses associated with their PlayStation Network/Qriocity accounts. You may also visit www.us.playstation.com/support and www.qriocity.com for notices regarding this issue. In addition, we have taken steps to disseminate information regarding this issue to media outlets so that consumers are informed. To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your credit card account statements and to monitor your credit reports.
Q: What steps should I take at this point to help protect my personal data?
A: 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.
Q: What if I don’t know which credit card I’ve got attached to my PlayStation Network account?
A: If you’ve added funds to your PlayStation Network wallet in the past, you should have received a confirmation email from “DoNotReply@ac.playstation.net” at the email address associated with your account. This email would have been sent to you immediately after you added the funds, and will contain the first 4 digits and last 4 digits of your credit card number. You can also check your previous credit card statements to determine which card was attached to your PlayStation Network or Qriocity accounts.
Q: When or how can I change my PlayStation Network password?
A: We are working on a new system software update that will require all users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. We will provide more details about the new update shortly.
Q: Are you working with law enforcement on this matter?
A: Yes, we are currently working with law enforcement on this matter as well as a recognized technology security firm to conduct a complete investigation. This malicious attack against our system and against our customers is a criminal act and we are proceeding aggressively to find those responsible.
Q: I got an email from you asking for my PSN/Qriocity sign-in ID and password. Is it really you asking for this information?
A: 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.
Q: Why did Sony wait until now to tell PSN users that their personal information may have been compromised?
A: The nature of the intrusion required that we undertake an extensive and thorough investigation of the matter, which took considerable effort and time. We needed to make sure that we knew and understood the facts before providing the appropriate notice to PlayStation Network users."
Calendar
Subject: REAL REASON WHY PSN IS DOWN/OFFLINE 
Thu Apr 28, 2011 5:47 pm
