Science

Sony PlayStation account info hacked

Hackers have stolen account information — likely including names, addresses, passwords and possibly even credit card numbers — from Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity service, the company warns on the seventh day of an outage.

Credit card information may have been stolen, Sony says in 7th day of outage

Hackers have stolen account information — likely including names, addresses, passwords and possibly even credit card information — from Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Network and Qriocity service, the company announced Tuesday on the seventh day of an outage.

The PlayStation Network has been attacked by hackers who have compromised security information, Sony Corp. says. ((Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters))

In an announcement posted on the company's blog, Sony says the unauthorized intrusion took place between April 17 and April 19.

In response, Sony said, it has temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged an outside security firm to conduct a complete investigation into what happened, and is rebuilding its system to provide greater protection for personal information.

Sony said the subscriber information that was likely compromised by the cyber attack include:

  • Name, address (city, state, postal code), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID.
  • Profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, postal code), and the subscriber's PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers. The same data with respect to a dependent may also have been obtained.

Sony said it believes it's possible credit card information — card number (excluding security code) and expiration date — might also have been compromised.

Sony urged subscribers worried about identity theft to remain vigilant, review account statements and monitor credit reports.

The outage of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Network ran into its seventh day Tuesday as the company says it expected to restore some services within a week.