During this seemingly endless spell of PSN down time, the fear of credit card fraud and identity theft feels like it's subsiding and being replaced with a longing for Sony to just hurry up and get the PlayStation Network back online.
It's a tough time for us all but, while it's perhaps unfair to comment on how long it's taking the platform holder to rectify this massive botch without understanding the true extent of the problem and processes, we can make judgment on Sony's response to the fans.
We've had a number of apologies from the firm as well as one from boss Howard Stringer, which is always appreciated.
Going above and beyond words though, Sony's also looking out for our identities by offering free insurance to both EU and US customers.
As the final gesture of apology, PSN users can also look forward to getting two free games upon the PSN's arrival back online.
Obviously none of this should have happened in the first place - but now Sony's showering us with gifts and remorseful words. Is it enough to make you forgive, even though you may not forget?
Comments
36 comments so far...
pop_is_dead on 8 May '11 said:
They may have been slack with the security surrounding our personal information but they have been given a massive kick up the *rse. It will cost them millions to put right, upgrade their network, compensate users and don't forget the damage to their brand image.
What have other companies / agencies done when entrusted with our data? From those naively sending unencrypted customer info all over the place (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/35 ... al-worsens) to companies being attacked by criminals (examples abound so take your pick). Civil servants losing cd's with millions of our details on them, government issued usb keys left in car parks, laptops left on trains... Not once have I been offered compensation by anyone. Until now.
Sony have messed up big time and it's right that they will be investigated and in due course punished if necessary. As a result of all this when everything is back up and running they will probably be the data equivalent of Fort Knox and I, for one, forgive them. Once I have my free stuff of course..
theaface on 8 May '11 said:
30 days free PS+
2 free games
1 year's identify theft insurance
Sounds very reasonable to me. Sadly, spoilt deluded people will still complain in their droves. Take your pick from the following...
"I already have most of the free games on offer."
"I bet they're minis/PSN games. They should be full retail titles."
"30 days of PS+ is just a ploy to make you become a subscriber."
"The PS+ offer isn't fair and should let you keep what you download."
"The PS+ isn't good enough for me as an existing PS+ subscriber."
"Kaz Hirai could pledge to be my personal servant until my dying day, and that still wouldn't be good enough. Apart from the minor inconvenience caused to me during this whole affair, I can't help but feel that I'll always be entitled to more than what's on offer."
That should just about cover it.
markyR on 8 May '11 said:
No, it will never be enough because all out personal information is out there! Their is nothing Sony can do to change that and as we now all know it COULD have done something to prevent it in the first place.
Sure I'll keep my PS3 but I'll NEVER buy another Playstation product ever again. You cannot trust Sony, plus they in my eye's lost all confidence the moment they agreed to settle out of court with George Hot by making him sign a deal sating he'll never do it again!!! Common, what was it, lunchtime in the primary school playground? They acted like it was. They should have taken him through court and had him thrown in jail.
The games they will offer will no doubt be crap, although we await to see the offering, and as for the identity theft insurance well I will wait to read the small print before jumping up for joy.
This entire thing has been one massive mess both by the hackers and Sony and BOTH sides have a lOT to answer for and have lost any confidence from a lot of people. And if we don't see Sony pressing charges and the FBI arresting the hackers responsible for this, well then I know the world I live in.
Sony has got to grow a pair of balls, it's that simple, I thought it had some until it let George of the hook, you cannot let criminals run you and that's exactly what they have done in my eye's and that is unforgivable.
Augustus_aka_AG on 8 May '11 said:
I'm actually quite glad it is down at the moment. My time on the Playstation has dropped massively. As a substitute I have spent a lot more time with my mates getting drunk. I'm also playing with myself a lot more. Which doesn't cost me electricity, is more environmentally friendly and a lot less nerdy than playing on the Playstation.
timewarp1 on 8 May '11 said:
You know, facebook is very unsecure. Look at that fire sheep program - they send passwords by PAP aswell. If someone hacked that large scale, it would make the PSN hack seem like an atom in a universe
Laughlyn on 8 May '11 said:
i would happily trade in the 2 free games, my free PSN+ time and any other tat they chuckin at me if they flipped the 'ON' switch right now.
wtfbbqchiken on 8 May '11 said:
its plenty enough for me
i give my details out on things like facebook (where its been proven to be easily stealable...) and everytime i order online they get details like my address etc
if anyone thinks there details being stolen somehow reveals them to the world i think they are sorely mistaken... its pretty much impossible to be completely anonymous on the internet anyway
so in summary 2 free games, psn+ and fraud insurance for nothing happening to me is awesome
edit: to the guy above im pretty sure facebook use https for logins now
Very_Silver_Ownz on 8 May '11 said:
Good enough for me. I will take full advantage of the 1 month of psplus so I can download all of the free games and get all of the trophies before my sub will expire
Naughty naughty
I'll let Sony off with a smack to the face but make sure it doesn't happen again
TheCrimsonFenix on 8 May '11 said:
What, this non-existent debate that never really happened?
Like I and many said before, no, not that bothered. Now stop making out as if Sony have seriously and forever more, totally destroyed their own hope of getting PSN back on track. It was a bump in the road, even if personal information was taken. The whole mess will die down after the Network is up and running again. Then maybe CVG can choose to go and make more baiting threads about something else that is only temporary.
MMM, I love Chewits.
petrolhead on 8 May '11 said:
More cheap words from the C&VG staff.
Why can't you just grow up and accept that Sony have been attacked by cyber terrorists for bringing criminals to justice.
Sony and all PSN users are the victims of crime.
No network is 100% safe, not now and never in the future.
If Microsoft had been targeted they would have been brought down just like Sony.
So just stop the juvenile comments and what you want from Sony as compensation and accept the reality of the situation.
Multiplayerking on 8 May '11 said:
I'll be happy if I get Mass Effect 2 or Gran Turismo 5. I just hope that I don't have them all.
PandyBear on 8 May '11 said:
I've quite happily accepted Sony's apology. For the simple fact is, this hack and loss of account details could have happened to ANYONE, it just sadly happened to Sony who were already in a state after the previous series of attacks. Play.com fairly recently had issues with stolen email account details, Episilon (provides marketing services on behalf of Barclaycard US, Capital One and 2500 other firms) Lost 'millions' of account details in a iranian hacking attack.
Knowing japanese culture fairly well, i can tell you Kaz Hirai will be feeling incredibly humiliated and ashamed, and it wouldnt suprise me if he stood down after this fiasco is sorted.
TheLastDodo on 8 May '11 said:
It'll do
.
Actually I just want PSN back now, bring it back when its safe and ready, in the meantime I'll be playing GTA IV and Mass Effect 2 or as I call it
This May PS3 goes old school
.
Also if I need my multiplayer fix, I'll play Killzone 3 Botzone.
damoxuk on 8 May '11 said:
Clearly they should give us copies of Uncharted 3 and Infamous 2 - anything less will be an insult*
* yes I am being sarcastic not interested in freebies just want PSN. Been online for 15 years this ain;t anything new just the scale of it is..
yodalicious on 8 May '11 said:
I for one just wanted a more secure and safe network back with valuable lessons learnt. That would have done me. The numerous apologies from the top brass, the identity theft insurance, 30 days free ps+ usage and two free games is more than enough. Remember peeps, we're getting subscription free network and on-line gaming. This amount of compensation is above and beyond what Sony should do (except the identity theft insurance for the year would have been expected. Other companies caught in same situation have offered this as standard). For those bitching at cvg again about what they write or believe they are stirring the s**t, go read another site then. Already one or two comments saying this question is another waste of time. These guys work to bring you info about an industry we love and support and start a debate to get peoples opinion. I get annoyed seeing comments telling cvg to go f**k itself. If you've nothing to add, don't comment. Anyway I've had my say, going back to my mates and celebrate. Know I'll get flamed for this but take a bow champions elect. To all Liverpool fans, we just took your perch. Roll on Wembly and revenge on Barca.
s.a.m on 8 May '11 said:
No one's asked this, but I reckon that in order to get your 30 days free PS+, You will have to put in your CREDIT CARD details, so that when the 30 free days are done, you automatically pay for the next months.
It's a ploy, but i don't care, two free games is enough for me.
greg11 on 8 May '11 said:
Don't understand all this, if your details have been nicked/copied, fine perfectly justifiable in being compensated.
But to all the retards who want compensation for lack of access to a FREE network, get a grip of yourselves, psn < real life. grow up, be grateful for the customer care sony has and if you already have the free game on offer, DONT f**king TAKE IT!!!!!!!!!
The Bossman on 8 May '11 said:
No it's not good enough, and here's why. They haven't ever given us a reliable date for when it will be back online. Just come out with it and say 1 month or 2 months, we'll respect you more for it than giving us numerous ETAs in the meantime and missing all of them. The free gifts however are a nice bonus and unexpected, so good on them for that.
armbar on 8 May '11 said:
Lol, such a bunch of trolls you are CVG!
Paranoimia on 9 May '11 said:
It's more than enough for me. I may take them up on the ID protection offer, but I doubt I'll take the games, as I really don't feel they owe me anything. I've been the victim of card fraud twice before, so I know that this stuff happens no matter how careful you are.
More recent, post-hysteria news has confirmed that card numbers were protected, and that Sony were actually running fully up-to-date server software, with multiple firewall protection. So they weren't lax with our details, and this could in fact have happened to any company with a network providing public access.
Not that any of that will prevent the Gimme Brigade demanding a stack of free stuff.
originalbadboy on 9 May '11 said:
Their (Sony) responses have been by the book, and expected.
Sony can offer whatever they want ...it will never be enough for me. They destroyed my trust (what there was) in them completely. I will never get that back sadly. I suspect it will be the same for a lot of other people too. Does it make any difference to my gaming life? Not in the slightest, even if Sony disappeared up their own arse as far as gaming is concerned, there will be someone else to replace them.
Although there are some games that I would miss (LBP 1 & 2 and Modnatiion Racers) there isnt much else out there that isnt available elsewhere... It wouldnt be that big a loss as far as I am concerned.
Of course that wont happen Sony have come too far to just give up now .. will be interesting to see how devs (that are not affiliated or owned by Sony) will react to this though.
Sony have lost 8% on their share price since the PSN crisis started, thats a hell of a lot for a Multi Billion pound company. Not to mention the fact they will get fined under the Data Protection Act, and they are offering compensation in the form of free games and Identity Loss Insurance. This is all going to have an affect on the company now and in the future. I dont think people realise how much this will affect them.
Of course it will be all be forgotten about the moment PSN comes back up proper, by the Sony faithful. Sony could come around and s**t on some peoples lawn and they would still think they were great. I guess love really is blind.
Antihack on 9 May '11 said:
First off i would like to say that i would not brag to be a hacker. A hacker in the real world definition is someione that is either fat, lazy, worthless,nerdy and cannot socially associate with real people and probably cannot even aquire a real job in this world. I would think a hacker has applied several times for social security disability and learned to hack so they could get approved LMAO. If anyone has to hack at a simple computer game then they are very pathetic. I have played Everquest II for several years and i have killed many hackers in player vs player combat. They tend to usually log out immdeiately and call their moms. It is very sad that no matter how anyone hacks they are not untouchable. And to say they have a society or organization of hackers is funny. It would appear as though there are alot of loosers out there. So the next time you see someone on your online game that moves faster than anyone else or waprs across the screen or never looses life just remember the first part of my blog. THEY ARE f**kIN LOOSERS LOL AND THEY CAN'T EVEN PLAY A SIMPLE GAME(BUT THEY STILL DIE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE) AND REMEMBER IF THEY DIDNT HACK THEY WOULD BE SOME OF THE MOST PATHETIC NEWBS WE HAVE EVER SEEN.
Achilles
illage2 on 9 May '11 said:
Honestly it will be hard to forget that PSN has been down this long. At least Sony are doing something about it now, yes it being down this long is a pain in the arse. However I would rather it be down longer so they can fix it correctly and make sure the system is working.
I also like the fact that Sony are rolling it out, which stops the servers from overloading.
I do hope it will be back on before next month.
meh2allfanboys on 9 May '11 said:
While some of my posts have been ott im starting to mellow now i just hope psn is back up before june 28th because uncharted is my sole reason for owning a ps3 and being a plus member all i want is to be in the uncharted 3 beta.
Gaseous Snake on 9 May '11 said:
What the hell else are they supposed to do? They're a PLC, don't forget; they can't go making a loss. Also, it's not like this was their fault, so I think they're being rather generous as they are.
Honestly, I can't remember people making this much of a fuss when XBL was down. Just goes to show-give 'em an inch, and they'll run a mile.
slothfull9 on 9 May '11 said:
One potential problem is that Sony are likely to continue to be a target for anyone determined to prove they're more clever than what they are.
big chief on 9 May '11 said:
This news just put a smile on my face.
http://www.lensoftruth.com/rogue-anonym ... anonymous/
ianson on 10 May '11 said:
@august_aka_ag
How does single player not cost elec-tri-ci-ty OOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, over share
Everyone is blowing this out of proportion out of sheer ignorance. As several have said this could happen to any organisation, it is an unfortunate fact of storing information electronically and on a network. Most companies never have to endure a large scale attack. Heck, government bodies in the US only realised how at risk they were when they paid a load of hackers to break in 'without breaking any laws' and the group managed to lock them out of their own systems. Even the UK government hasn't cottoned on yet... When one politician stood up and said that the money spent on trident would be better spent on upping cyber defences he was actually laughed at by some of his peers..
ianson on 10 May '11 said:
I should probably clarify when I said ignorance I meant that this should be a wake up call to everywhere you have data and that the Sony incident is not a big deal. The big deal is that you are ripe for the picking just like anyone else who has information online... this is why cloud computing is so damn scary.
_Marty_ on 10 May '11 said:
This is something I've heard wheeled out a lot since this happened. Can someone please tell me when Xbox Live was down for 3 weeks? I have been on XBL for several years, and aside from the occasional evening and a flakey service during a particularly heavy Christmas, I don't recall it going down at all...
digifreak277 on 10 May '11 said:
I think anyone considering going to XBL is a traitor and is not giving sony a fair chance to make amends, i mean come on, they're offering more than enough
drunknrage on 10 May '11 said:
If Sony could give the next two map packs for call of duty with playstation plus that would be all. Dammit fix it already I wanna play
Zepf on 11 May '11 said:
_Marty_ maybe you didn't have a problem with it in your area. It definitley wasn't 3 weeks, remember it being more like a week.
Wasn't able to sign in at all, which equates to being down as I couldn't use it.
Plus, you know the score- internet exaggeration
armbar on 12 May '11 said:
Well, one might argue that being without a console for a month whilst it's being repaired at the RROD center is effectively the same. Except without single player of course.
Also...the RROD happened to me thrice! This hopefully will not...
Paradaz - UK on 12 May '11 said:
armbar on 12 May '11 said:
Reported for trolling / ignoring Bosker's request to stay out of Playstation threads...