Hacking on PlayStation 3

Sony on Wednesday denied that it disabled log-ins for the PlayStation Network today due to another hacking incident.
"Contrary to some reports, there was no hack involved. In the process of resetting of passwords there was a URL exploit that we have subsequently fixed," Patrick Seybold, Sony's senior director of corporate communications and social media, wrote in a blog post.


Online log-ins are still down for PlayStation.com, PlayStation forums, PlayStation Blog, Qriocity.com, Music Unlimited via the web client, and all PlayStation game title Web sites. Users still have access via the PlayStation 3 and PSP devices.

"Consumers who haven't reset their passwords for PSN are still encouraged to do so directly on their PS3. Otherwise, they can continue to do so via the Web site as soon as we bring that site back up," Seybold wrote.

Seybold did not provide a timeline for when that might occur or elaborate on the URL exploit that prompted the downtime. But according to Eurogamer and Nyleveia.com, there was a glitch with Sony's PlayStation Network password system that allowed a hacker to change your password armed only with your PSN account email address and date of birth.

"We for rather obvious reasons do not want to elaborate further on the exact details of the exploit, on the off chance that when the web based interface for PSN is restored the exploit has not been patched," according to Nyleveia.com, which alerted Sony to the exploit.

This latest problem comes days after Sony started putting its PlayStation network back online after an extended downtime. It hasn't been completely smooth sailing; an influx of users trying to change their passwords prompted Sony to temporarily halt the process earlier this week.

Sony PlayStation

PSN's back! PSN's back! Tell the world! Most of the world has known that Sony's PlayStation Network has been back online in most areas for a day now, but Sony's not satisfied with just bringing things back online. Now, the company's detailing a new plan to hook customers up who are forgiving the company and sticking with 'em. It's a "Welcome Back" appreciation program for users in North America.


This package will be made available to all existing registered PlayStation Network and Qriocity users in North America (US and Canada), and will be made available shortly after we have fully restored the service. More specific details about these offers and eligibility requirements will be posted as the services go live, but the specifics so far are here: all PlayStation Network customers can select two PS3 games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever.

* Dead Nation
* inFAMOUS
* LittleBigPlanet
* Super Stardust HD
* Wipeout HD + Fury

For PSP owners, you will be eligible to download two PSP games from the following list. The games will be available for 30 days shortly after PlayStation Store is restored and can be kept forever.

* LittleBigPlanet (PSP)
* ModNation Racers
* Pursuit Force
* Killzone Liberation

SONY PS3

While Sony has begun restoring its online services in the U.S. and Europe, Japanese regulators have not allowed Sony to resume the networks in Japan because they are not convinced the networks have been properly secured.
After meeting with Sony twice this month, Kazushige Nobutani, director of the Media and Content Industry department at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, told Dow Jones it was waiting for Sony to achieve two things:


"The first is preventative measures. As of May 13, Sony was incomplete in exercising measures that they said they will do on the May 1 press conference," he said.

Secondly, "There were similar cases in the past that were caused by other firms, and we are asking Sony whether their measures are good enough when compared to countermeasures taken in the past," he said.

Sony Japan apologized to its customers at its PlayStation blog, which instructs users to download a firmware update, v.3.61, on Monday to update their passwords. It is still in discussions with various agencies to resume the service, the company wrote.

On Saturday evening, Sony posted firmware update instructions for customers in the U.S. and Europe to change their passwords. Sony also announced it would begin a phased return of PlayStation Network services following a three-week outage, which was prompted by a security breach that forced the company to take down the network.

"Please note that these services will take a bit of time to be turned on and rolled out to the whole country," Sony wrote in a blog post on Saturday.

The company is also offering customers free enrollment in identity-theft protection programs in countries where they are available, and has promised a "welcome back package" sometime in the future.