The Sony wars begin

Saniflush · « **on:** April 05, 2011, 12:57:49 PM »

Now this is getting interesting.. if you're going to throw the first stone at the hacker community, you'd better be prepared for the retaliation :

Just hours after the hacker collective Anonymous threatened to take down the PlayStation Network and major Sony websites, the PSN â€” the service that allows PS3 gamers to compete online and download games â€” has been going on and offline. The official PlayStation blog and Sony's U.S. PlayStation site are also loading slowly, if at all.

An official PlayStation Twitter account noted just before 1pm ET today that: "PSN currently undergoing sporadic maintenance. Access to the PSN may be interrupted throughout the day. We apologize for any inconvenience." The service was down after that though appeared to be functioning again by 3:30 ET.

We've contacted Sony to find out if they believe these outages are due to Anonymous' attacks and, if not, what they're doing to prepare for them.

Anonymous says they plan to attack Sony to punish the company for suing hacker George Hotz who cracked the PS3's firmware. Hotz, also known as Geohot, is now embroiled in a legal and ethical conflict about whether he had a right to mess with Sony's tech or if they are protected by U.S. law to keep him out and can both shut him down and look through his Paypal records to see who may have been giving him financial support.

and then today's update

Not content with attacking Sony's commercial websites and the PlayStation Network itself, a group of activists has now turned its sights on obtaining the personal information of a number of Sony executives.

A supposed splinter group of hacking outfit Anonymous, calling itself SonyRecon has asked members to get people to gather and contribute, and work towards a common goal of finding and information and detailing useful targets is basically any and all personal documentation and/or identification of an individual available online.

So who's going to win this one? The hackers can't win because that would be bad news for not only Sony but for everyone, but Sony's really been a bunch of asshats for this whole thing, so it's a tough call...maybe all the hackers get caught after some good decimation

AU_Tiger_2000 · « **Reply #1 on:** April 05, 2011, 01:19:32 PM »

I might have more sympathy for Anonymous if some of the morons who were posting the strobe light images to message boards used by epilepsy patients weren't members.

Going after Hal Turner, Scientology, and Sony is one thing. Attacking sick people is another.

Townhallsavoy · « **Reply #2 on:** April 05, 2011, 01:29:42 PM »

I also might be a bit more sympathetic towards Anonymous if they didn't post child porn on their website every now and then.

Sickos.

Godfather · « **Reply #3 on:** April 05, 2011, 02:16:06 PM »

Quote from: Townhallsavoy on April 05, 2011, 01:29:42 PM

I also might be a bit more sympathetic towards Anonymous if they didn't post child porn on their website every now and then.

Sickos.

Why do you hate Saniflush?

Saniflush · « **Reply #4 on:** April 05, 2011, 02:17:24 PM »

Quote from: Godfather on April 05, 2011, 02:16:06 PM

Why do you hate Saniflush?

Was gonna say I liken Sony to baldie and the hackers to us.

Saniflush · « **Reply #5 on:** April 06, 2011, 07:46:02 AM »

Would you support Ford for suing people that supercharged the engines of cars they own? No. If they steal the parts to do it, they're thieves, sure, but the owner of a piece of equipment has the right to modify it as they see fit. Sony is fucked on this one and they deserve to be.
I like the cut of these folks' jib. Wonder if they need a place to post?

AU_Tiger_2000 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 06, 2011, 11:10:47 AM »

If the people supercharging the Fords were also distributing kiddy porn and trying to give people seisures, I might side with Ford.

Saniflush · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2011, 11:19:26 AM »

Quote from: AU_Tiger_2000 on April 06, 2011, 11:10:47 AM

If the people supercharging the Fords were also distributing kiddy porn and trying to give people seisures, I might side with Ford.

Every group has it's extremists with poor decision making skills. Need I name some in our own family?

AU_Tiger_2000 · « **Reply #8 on:** April 06, 2011, 01:24:50 PM »

Quote from: Saniflush on April 06, 2011, 11:19:26 AM

Every group has it's extremists with poor decision making skills. Need I name some in our own family?

I'm not going to sit here and listen to you bad mouth the ~~United States of America~~ TigersX!

Besides, Kaos isn't that extreme.

GH2001 · « **Reply #9 on:** April 06, 2011, 04:19:04 PM »

Sony is teh suxxors anyway.

Play Station = teh gheys

Saniflush · « **Reply #10 on:** April 22, 2011, 02:04:20 PM »

Playstation network has been up and down a lot in the last 36 hours. Gotta be careful who you fuck with.

I'm beginning to wonder if Playstation Network runs on the Amazon CE (Cloud Environment), it can't just be a coincidence that dozens of other websites all went down around the same time as this attack. Amazon, Reddit, Fourquare, etc all tanked while this was happening.

I really like seeing Sony get a face full of rape.

Saniflush · « **Reply #11 on:** April 26, 2011, 12:26:59 PM »

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse

The hacker attack that brought down the PlayStation Network, Sony's popular gaming hub which fuels the online portion of the PlayStation 3, continued into this week, and now the company has announced that the service will be down indefinitely.

Boasting roughly 75 million members, the network allows consumers to purchase a wide range of digital goods from the Sony line-up much like Apple's iTunes store. The security breach has apparently compromised the service to such a degree that Sony now plans to rebuild the network infrastructure from the ground up.

No date has been announced as to when the network will go back online, but in the meantime Microsoft's Xbox Live service may experience an uptick in switchers looking to interact with other gamers who own both consoles.

It's a damn good thing they stopped that one guy from jailbreaking his own property.

Jumbo · « **Reply #12 on:** April 26, 2011, 01:27:14 PM »

Quote from: Saniflush on April 26, 2011, 12:26:59 PM

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse

The hacker attack that brought down the PlayStation Network, Sony's popular gaming hub which fuels the online portion of the PlayStation 3, continued into this week, and now the company has announced that the service will be down indefinitely.

Boasting roughly 75 million members, the network allows consumers to purchase a wide range of digital goods from the Sony line-up much like Apple's iTunes store. The security breach has apparently compromised the service to such a degree that Sony now plans to rebuild the network infrastructure from the ground up.

No date has been announced as to when the network will go back online, but in the meantime Microsoft's Xbox Live service may experience an uptick in switchers looking to interact with other gamers who own both consoles.

It's a damn good thing they stopped that one guy from jailbreaking his own property.

That's such horse shit.

Saniflush · « **Reply #13 on:** April 26, 2011, 01:29:48 PM »

Quote from: Jumbo on April 26, 2011, 01:27:14 PM

That's such horse shit.

Jumbo · « **Reply #14 on:** April 26, 2011, 01:33:48 PM »

It's sounds petty but I hate teh X-Box controller.

Saniflush · « **Reply #15 on:** April 26, 2011, 01:56:42 PM »

Quote from: Jumbo on April 26, 2011, 01:33:48 PM

It's sounds petty but I hate teh X-Box controller.

Not at all. That is one of my complaints with teh playstation.

Saniflush · « **Reply #16 on:** April 27, 2011, 08:21:04 AM »

Quote from: Jumbo on April 26, 2011, 01:33:48 PM

It's sounds petty but I hate teh X-Box controller.

http://www.xcm.cc/xcm_cross_fire_converter.htm

ssgaufan · « **Reply #17 on:** April 27, 2011, 09:09:40 AM »

Quote from: Saniflush on April 27, 2011, 08:21:04 AM

http://www.xcm.cc/xcm_cross_fire_converter.htm

Sweet! I have a 360 but just don't play it that much because I don't like the controller. Looks like you have solved my problem.

Saniflush · « **Reply #18 on:** April 28, 2011, 10:04:21 AM »

Quote

PS3 rapper hacker George Hotz got sued by Sony. He made an rap video that drew comparisons between getting fucked up the ass and the lawsuit. Hotz reached an agreement with Sony, but there's speculation that the famed hacker is still bitter, that he's behind the PSN breach.

"And to anyone who thinks I was involved in any way with this, I'm not crazy, and would prefer to not have the FBI knocking on my door," Hotz blogged. "Running homebrew and exploring security on your devices is cool, hacking into someone elses server and stealing databases of user info is not cool." Hotz said that doing such makes the hacking community look badâ€”"even if it is aimed at douches like Sony".

Hotz, however, doesn't lay blame on Sony's engineers for the PSN security breach. "The fault lies with the executives who declared a war on hackers, laughed at the idea of people penetrating the fortress that once was Sony, whined incessantly about piracy, and kept hiring more lawyers when they really needed to hire good security experts," wrote Hotz. "Alienating the hacker community is not a good idea."
In his lengthy post, the young hacker speculated that it was "Sony's arrogance and misunderstanding of ownership" that put the company in this position. According to Hotz, Sony thought the PS3 was unhackable and didn't think it was necessary to waste money on pointless security.

The remainder of Hotz's post is spent talking about playing homebrew games, defining hacker vs. cracker and offering words to those who carried out the breach.

To the perpetrator, two things. You are clearly talented and will have plenty of money (or a jail sentence and bankruptcy) coming to you in the future. Don't be a dick and sell people's information. And I'd love to see a write up on how it all went down...lord knows we'll never get that from Sony, noobs probably had the password set to '4' or something. I mean, at least it was randomly generated.

Saniflush · « **Reply #19 on:** May 02, 2011, 03:52:17 PM »

Fear not. You may be able to get online sometime this week.

Quote

Some PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services to be Available This Week

+ Posted by Patrick Seybold // Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media

SOME PLAYSTATIONÂ®NETWORK AND QRIOCITYâ„¢ SERVICES TO BE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK
Phased Global Rollout of Services to Begin Regionally;
System Security Enhanced to Provide Greater Protection of Personal Information

Tokyo, May 1, 2011 â€“ Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStationÂ®Network and Qriocityâ„¢ services, beginning with gaming, music and video services to be turned on. The company also announced both a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation program to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty.

Following a criminal cyber-attack on the companyâ€™s data-center located in San Diego, California, U.S.A., SNEI quickly turned off the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged multiple expert information security firms over the course of several days and conducted an extensive audit of the system. Since then, the company has implemented a variety of new security measures to provide greater protection of personal information. SNEI and its third-party experts have conducted extensive tests to verify the security strength of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. With these measures in place, SCE and SNEI plan to start a phased rollout by region of the services shortly. The initial phase of the rollout will include, but is not limited to, the following:

* Restoration of Online game-play across the PlayStationÂ®3 (PS3) and PSPÂ® (PlayStationÂ®Portable) systems
-This includes titles requiring online verification and downloaded games
* Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers
* Access to account management and password reset
* Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
* PlayStationÂ®Home
* Friends List
* Chat Functionality

Working closely with several outside security firms, the company has implemented significant security measures to further detect unauthorized activity and provide consumers with greater protection of their personal information. The company is also creating the position of Chief Information Security Officer, directly reporting to Shinji Hasejima, Chief Information Officer of Sony Corporation, to add a new position of expertise in and accountability for customer data protection and supplement existing information security personnel. The new security measures implemented include, but are not limited to, the following:

* Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks
* Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption
* Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns
* Implementation of additional firewalls

The company also expedited an already planned move of the system to a new data center in a different location that has been under construction and development for several months. In addition, PS3 will have a forced system software update that will require all registered PlayStation Network users to change their account passwords before being able to sign into the service. As an added layer of security, that password can only be changed on the same PS3 in which that account was activated, or through validated email confirmation, a critical step to help further protect customer data.

The company is conducting a thorough and on-going investigation and working with law enforcement to track down and prosecute those responsible for the illegal intrusion.

â€œThis criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry. These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security. We take the security of our consumersâ€™ information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks,â€ said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. â€œOur global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation program for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services.â€

Complimentary Offering and â€œWelcome Backâ€ Appreciation Program
While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

The company will also rollout the PlayStation Network and Qriocity â€œWelcome Backâ€ program, to be offered worldwide, which will be tailored to specific markets to provide our consumers with a selection of service options and premium content as an expression of the companyâ€™s appreciation for their patience, support and continued loyalty.

Central components of the â€œWelcome Backâ€ program will include:

* 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.

Additional â€œWelcome Backâ€ entertainment and service offerings will be rolled out over the coming weeks as the company returns the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services to the quality standard users have grown to enjoy and strive to exceed those exceptions.

SNEI will continue to reinforce and verify security for transactions before resuming the PlayStationÂ®Store and other Qriocity operations, scheduled for this month.

For more information about the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services intrusion and restoration, please visit http://blog.us.playstation.com. or http://blog.eu.playstation.com/

About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $78 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufactures, distributes and markets the PlayStationÂ® game console, the PlayStationÂ®2 computer entertainment system, the PSPÂ® (PlayStationÂ®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PlayStationÂ®3 (PS3Â®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer like power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SCEI is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.