PSN takes sites down after log-in exploit found

Just two days after the PlayStation Network was restored after a near month-long outage, the PSN password page has apparently been exploited. According to reports, the exploit allows other users to reset your account password using only your e-mail address and date of birth. This personal data was made available to hackers during the initial PSN attack.

The issue was first reported by Nyleveia, which was contacted by an unnamed source who reportedly performed the hack on a dummy account, prompting an e-mail message confirming that the password had been changed. Similar reports on gaming forum NeoGAF show an identical situation, in which the user provided the necessary information only to receive two subsequent e-mails: one claiming that someone was attempting to change the account's password and requesting the user click on a confirmation link, and another confirming that the password had been changed.

Nyleveia’s unnamed source demoed this breach to the staff to prove that it is a real threat, and Eurogamer has also seen video evidence that corroborates with Nylevia’s claims. Nyleveia has also passed what it discovered to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Since then, a number of sites have become inaccessible for login including:

PlayStation.com

PlayStation forums

all PlayStation game titles

PlayStation Blog

Qriocity.com

Music Unlimited via the web client

site where users are directed to to reset their passwords

In a brief statement confirming that the PSN has been taken offline, Sony said, “Unfortunately this also means that those who are still trying to change their password via Playstation.com or Qriocity.com will be unable to do so for the time being. This is due to essential maintenance and at present it is unclear how long this will take.

The report comes from gaming blog Nyleveia, which posted a warning to PSN users that their passwords might not be safe and contacted Sony about it.

Another blog, Eurogamer, says it confirmed the exploit, which allows someone to reset your password by knowing your e-mail address used for the account and date of birth. That information is known to be among the data belonging to 100 million users of Sony's gaming services that was exposed between April 17 and 19 in the second-largest security breach in U.S. history.

Eurogamer says users that changed the e-mail address connected to the PSN account after PSN was restored this weekend should not be at risk.

Yesterday, speaking to a handful of reporters, Sony CEO Howard Stringer admitted that while the company had rebuilt the security for PSN during the three weeks it was unavailable, no system could be guaranteed "100 percent secure.

PlayStation Network back online: Sony say sorry with gifts

PlayStation Network Yesterday SCEE finally confirmed that PSN services have started coming back online in Europe after over three weeks of online gaming blackout on PS3.

It's been pretty inconvenient for single-system owners; big online games including Portal 2, Brink and Mortal Kombat haven't seen a single online PSN match until now - and Sony's set to say sorry with a number of online gifts and service bonuses.

In case you missed the previous announcement, to get back on PSN you'll need to download a mandatory system update and change your password. This can only be done on the same PS3 on which your account was originally activated.

On the same day Kazuo Hirai, Sony Corporation executive deputy president said that the firm had been working around the clock to get services online and talked up what is apparently one of the most significant changes to Sony's online security - a forced user password change.

Hirai added that Sony, with the help of some third parties, thankfully, had carried out an "an intensive investigation" into the firm's systems and had added encryption, firewalls and an early warning detection system. He added, "Greater protection for information is our top priority."

Here's what you can expect:

Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.

All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of

PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.

Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.

Sony has revealed that it will give US PlayStation Network subscribers $1 million-worth of identity insurance when the PSN down time ends - and that it is working hard to bring European customers "something similar.

Things to do while PlayStation Network is still down

Read War and Peace. Hopefully Sony will have PSN back up by the time you finish. C`mon, after 8 days down, do you really believe the promise of partial PSN restoration by next Tuesday?

Watch the Royal Wedding. Who else is up at that hour of the night?

Dig out dad's "Dungeons and Dragons" game. Hey, analog role playing is better than nothing.

Go to a 3D movie. While you've been playing non-stop for the last 3 years, there have been some amazing tech advances. Oh, yeah, ask your friends to explain what an iPhone is.

Become a day trader. The highs and lows can be as exciting as interactive game playing, except you make (or, gulp, lose) real money rather than spend it on virtual goods.

Check your email. Sony would like to explain how it lost all your personal information, including precious gamertag ID, password, birth date, security questions and much more. Ah, best check credit card activity, too.

Update your Match.com profile -- remove MAG, SOCOM 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Visit your mom. Her door is on the other side of the bathroom.

Change your passwords from "password" -- or "123456789." Hackers have it now.

Take a shower. You need it.

Sony Playstation network going Australia

Sony Corp. began a limited and phased restoration of its PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment videogame services Saturday, bringing the company a step closer to normalcy following an attack on its systems that compromised personal information for more than 100 million user accounts last month.

The Japanese electronics giant said that following the release of a mandatory software upgrade for all PlayStation 3 videogame console units, it would begin bringing its PlayStation Network back online in the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East.

Australia is one of the first countries where the service is being restored, with users first required to update the firmware of their PS3 console and then change their account password.

Sony says the first phase of restored services includes:

Sign-in for PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, including the resetting of passwords

Restoration of online game-play across PS3 and PSP

Playback rental video content, if within rental period, of PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service on PS3, PSP and MediaGo

Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity, for current subscribers, on PS3 and PC

Friends category on PS3, including friends lists, chat functionality and trophies

PlayStation Home.

According to one EBG manager in Sydney PS3 users began looking for trade in deals on their Sony consoles "in earnest" 10 days ago.

"We have definitely seen a move away from the Sony network in recent weeks. Users are looking to trade in PS3 games and consoles".

A visit to e Bay Australia web site reveals more than 1,000 listings for Sony PS3 consoles.

According to a manager at a Happy Hocker shop in Sydney the Company has seen a 90% increase during the past two weeks from consumers looking to trade in a PS3 console for either cash or as a trade in for an Xbox 360.

Last night Sony moved to bring their PSN operation back online after being down since 17th of April.

According to Future Publishing consumers in the UK are trading in their PS3

Sony expects to have all services in all countries fully restored by the end of May.

It will be offering customers a “welcome back” package of services and premium content. Details of the program for Australian PlayStation users will be announced soon, but Sony has previously stated that it will include:

Selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download.

30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service (or 30 additional days for current members)

Music Unlimited subscribers will receive 30 days free service.

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Sony begins partial PlayStation Network operation

TOKYO—Sony began restoring its PlayStation Network service in the United States and Europe on Sunday after shutting down the service almost a month ago due to a massive security breach affecting over 100 million online accounts.

Restored operations are mainly limited to online gaming, chat and music streaming services. Sony said it aimed to fully restore the PlayStation Network by the end of May.

Sony also began Sunday a phased restoration of its Qriocity movie and music services which share the PlayStation Network's server, said Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. spokesman Satoshi Fukuoka.

The first phase of the restoration of services for North America and Europe will include sign-in for PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, including the resetting of passwords, the restoration of online gameplay across PlayStation 3 and PSP, playback rental video content if within rental period of PlayStation Store Video Store on PS3, PSP and Media Go, the restoration of Q Music Unlimited, for current subscribers, on PS3 and PC, access to third party services such as VidZone and MUBI, restoration of the 'Friends' category on PS3, including Friends List, Chat Functionality, Trophy Comparison and the restoration of PlayStation Home.

Sony has warned that the restoration of services on a global scale may take some time and said on Saturday that it would take hours to restore the PlayStation Network across the US.

The company has been working with outside contractors to ensure Sony PlayStation Network, Qriocity and Sony Online Entertainment are far more secure then before the hack that saw millions if users data stolen.

Network security breaches are part of a trend that saw the costs of such invasions jump 48 percent, to an average of $318 per compromised record last year, according to a March report by the Ponemon Institute.

Malicious attacks in the U.S. are on the rise. They climbed 7 percentage points in 2010, with data breaches costing U.S. businesses an average of $7.2 million per incident, according to the Ponemon Institute report. The study found that about 85 percent of all U.S. companies have experienced one or more attacks.

The use of a hijacked or rented server to launch attacks is typical for sophisticated hackers. The proliferation of server farms around the globe has made such misdirection easier, said E.J. Hilbert, president of the security company Online Intelligence and a former FBI cyber-crime investigator.

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