Sony PSN Victim Of Security Breach

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http://www.crn.com/security/207000143

Sony Playstation Network Victim Of Security Breach
*By Stefanie Hoffman, ChannelWeb
*1:50 PM EDT Thu. Mar. 27, 2008

Sony Playstation Network is doing some damage control after a security breach that may have exposed users' personal account information and passwords.

The company disclosed on its Website that the personal information of users who have accessed its online content download service might have been subject to unauthorized access through the PC version of the Playstation Store.

"Although unlikely, it is possible that the passwords of a small percentage of Playstation Network users may have been changed through unauthorized access, making it possible to view users' personal information, and/or use the Wallet for the Playstation Store," Sony said in a blog post.

Sony did not further comment on the nature of the breach or the exact number of accounts that have been compromised.

However, Sony maintained that a credit card breach would be very unlikely due to the fact that PSN accounts do not display the entire credit card number of its users.

The company said that it had investigated the extent of the breach and possible manipulation of the passwords. Security had been restored after it had taken "immediate measures" to address the problem, Sony said. The company also said it is contacting customers whose accounts might have been affected.

The company urged Playstation Network users to sign in to the service with their preset password in order to verify that their accounts remain intact. Users who can sign in successfully have not had their account information compromised or been affected by the breach, the company said.