*changes a couple passwords* 

Now I have to log onto PSN and remove my credit card info.......

CRAP!!!!

Shit just got real. Getting the attention of the US Senate.

http://blumenthal.senate.gov/press/release/index.cfm?id=82698973-255D-4B92-9E18-39E5937C9361

Blumenthal Demands Answers from Sony over Playstation Data Breach

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

(Hartford, CT) – Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote the President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America today demanding answers over the company’s failure to notify millions of customers of a data breach in the PlayStation Network on April 20, 2011. Blumenthal noted that a breach of such a widely used service – estimated by news reports as having 50 to 75 million customers – immediately “raises concerns of data privacy, identity theft, and other misuse of sensitive personal and financial data, such as names, email addresses, and credit and debit card information.”

“When a data breach occurs, it is essential that customers be immediately notified about whether and to what extent their personal and financial information has been compromised… I am concerned that PlayStation Network users’ personal and financial information may have been inappropriately accessed by a third party,” Blumenthal wrote in the letter. “Compounding this concern is the troubling lack of notification from Sony about the nature of the data breach. Although the breach occurred nearly a week ago, Sony has not notified customers of the intrusion, or provided information that is vital to allowing individuals to protect themselves from identity theft, such as informing users whether their personal or financial information may have been compromised.” 

Blumenthal called for Sony to provide PlayStation Network users with financial data security services, including free access to credit reporting services for two years, the costs of which should be borne by the company. Additionally, he argued that affected individuals should be provided with sufficient insurance to protect them from the possible financial consequences of identity theft.

The text of the letter follows:

April 26, 2011

Mr. Jack Tretton
President and CEO
Sony Computer Entertainment America
919 East Hillsdale Boulevard
Foster City, CA USA 94404

Dear Mr. Tretton:

            I am writing regarding a recent data breach of Sony’s PlayStation Network service.  I am troubled by the failure of Sony to immediately notify affected customers of the breach and to extend adequate financial data security protections.

It has been reported that on April 20, 2011, Sony’s PlayStation Network suffered an “external intrusion” and was subsequently disabled. News reports estimate that 50 million to 75 million consumers – many of them children – access the PlayStation Network for video and entertainment. I understand that the PlayStation Network allows users to store credit card information online to facilitate the purchasing of content such as games and movies through the PlayStation Network. A breach of such a widely used service immediately raises concerns of data privacy, identity theft, and other misuse of sensitive personal and financial data, such as names, email addresses, and credit and debit card information.

When a data breach occurs, it is essential that customers be immediately notified about whether and to what extent their personal and financial information has been compromised. Additionally, PlayStation Network users should be provided with financial data security services, including free access to credit reporting services, for two years, the costs of which should be borne by Sony. Affected individuals should also be provided with sufficient insurance to protect them from the possible financial consequences of identity theft.

I am concerned that PlayStation Network users’ personal and financial information may have been inappropriately accessed by a third party. Compounding this concern is the troubling lack of notification from Sony about the nature of the data breach. Although the breach occurred nearly a week ago, Sony has not notified customers of the intrusion, or provided information that is vital to allowing individuals to protect themselves from identity theft, such as informing users whether their personal or financial information may have been compromised.  Nor has Sony specified how it intends to protect these consumers. 

PlayStation Network users deserve more complete information on the data breach, as well as the assurance that their personal and financial information will be securely maintained. I appreciate your prompt response on this important issue.        

Sincerely,

/s/

Richard Blumenthal
United States Senate

It's probably getting packaged to be sold on the black market to spammers, crackers, ID thieves, and marketers.  And they'll never catch them cause they'll be operating in Russia, Eastern European bloc countries, China, Nigeria, and other lovely places that nobody can really reach.

I'm very glad that I removed my saved CC info when all of this hacking shit started.  Granted, who the fuck knows what Sony actually does with this information...it was still probably somewhere ready to be taken.

"Dear,

PlayStation gamer, we are proud to announce that your PSN account was hacked a week ago. 

Needless to say, you are totally screwed. XD

Hugs and kisses

Sony"

Well, technically the hacking occured before PSN was brought down. The hacking didn't bring PSN down, Sony brought PSN down in response. So if you removed your PW when PSN started to go down, that was just a little too late. 

This is assuming the hacker(s) actually got any CC info, which we still don't know yet.

Ok, I've just changed the passwords and secret answers of 4 of my MSN accounts. I have also changed the password and secret answer of my facebook account.

I've done this even though I have different passwords for each different account... because the secret answer was always the same xD

I used some of the passwords for over 5 years and never had to change them until now :P It'll be hard to remember and get used to the new passwords :S

BTW, I may not be remembering this right but... can the PSN password be retrieved just by entering your birthdate? There should be no problem because you get the password in whatever email address you registered your account with, right? I want to be sure because I think you can't change the birthdate...

Nope, hacking shit as in a month or two ago when I started becoming worried that something drastic like this would happen.  It has been off my account for at least a month now.

I was just tyring to keep people's hopes up that maybe it is just someone who will make a post and say "here are 70 million names, card numbers, and stuff." and post just a few just to prove he did it.