As Sony struggles to get PSN back up,new details emerge

With the PlayStation Network expected to be back up within a matter of days, Sony's statements to a US House subcommittee seem to point the finger on responsibility back at hacktivist group Anonymous, which initially denied involvement .


PlayStation chief Kazuo Hirai told Congress in a letter that the company was a victim ofa sophisticated attack. As part of the hack, a file was planted on the company's serversnamed "Anonymous" with the words "We Are Legion." He said the company understood the full scope of the attack by April 25 , but could not rule out the compromising of credit card data.


The statement seems somewhat at odds with the company's public statements, which up until at least April 29 seemed to suggest that credit card data had not been touched. Regardless of that fact, Hirai said that Sony had not received any reports of fraud that was believed to be connected to the PSN hack.


Sony's hack is one of several being investigated by the feds, US Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed to Reuters Wednesday.


"I am of course aware of the criticism Sony has received for the time taken to disclose information to our customers," Hirai wrote. "I hope you can appreciate the extraordinary nature of the events the company was facing -- brought on by a criminal hacker whose activity was neither immediately nor easily ascertainable."

via http://www.betanews.com/article/print/As-Sony-struggles-to-get-PSN-back-up-new-details-emerge/1304538963

Sony data breach credit card fraud reports emerge

Ars Technica readers blame PlayStation network hack. Following the massive PlayStation network data breach involving the theft of millions of user's personal information, reports have emerged of credit card fraud which the victims blame on the Sony breach.
While PC tech site Ars Technica was careful not to state that recent credit card fraud experienced by the site's readers could be confirmed as a result of the Sony breach, a large number of Ars readers reported credit card fraud they believed was related to the Sony data theft.
"The number of Ars Technica readers who have had issues with their credit cards in the past few days, and have commented, e-mailed, or Tweeted about the issue, is alarming," wrote Ars Technica's Ben Kuchera.
One such reader told the site that their American Express card had been falsely charged over the weekend. "This card sits in a drawer in my house for emergencies, but I did use it once on my PSP for an account," they said.
Sony yesterday posted a Q&A update, saying "the entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken" but added "we cannot rule out the possibility."

Playstation hack hits three million Brits

London - Millions of Britons may be issued with new credit cards over fears their banking details have been stolen by thieves hacking into the Sony PlayStation Network.


The personal information of 77 million people around the world is thought to have been compromised.
Some three-million Britons - who use the Sony system to play computer games against people in the UK and other countries - have been caught up in the biggest criminal hack on record.


The theft of data includes names, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses and log-in details.


Credit card details may also have been taken. The bank industry body Financial Fraud Action UK has issued an alert to victims.


It said it was working with Sony to identify British consumers involved and set up alerts on their credit card accounts to check for unusual use or purchases.


A spokesman added that if accounts were hijacked by criminals, banks would set up new accounts and issue new cards.


He said:“The banking industry has robust processes in place to protect customers’accounts by monitoring for suspicious transactions.”


FFA UK said there was no need for customers to contact their bank or card company at this stage.

However, it added that customers should check statements and keep an eye on accounts for unusual activity.


There are concerns that many people use the same password for their Sony account as for other online activities, including banking.
FFA UK warned:“We recommend that they should change these passwords as soon as possible.


“Similarly, customers may have had their email addresses and telephone numbers compromised, so they should be wary of responding to any unsolicited emails or phone calls.”


It said innocent victims of fraud will get their money back from their bank or card company. The Information Commissioner has launched an investigation, saying it takes such incidents“extremely seriously”.


The Sony hack is the latest in a number of web security breaches to hit consumers in recent weeks.

Millions of customers of Marks&Spencer, Play.com and TripAdvisor have had personal details stolen.
Sony has shut down its PlayStation Network, apologised to customers and announced an independent security review. However, many customers complained that it took a full week to reveal the extent of the breach.


HOW TO STOP THE CRIMINALS
Victims of hacking have been warned to watch out for spam emails,“spear phishing”attacks - targeted attempts to acquire confidential information - and unauthorised spending.


Spammers will send out emails which look like a genuine communication. Victims will be asked to fill in an online form.


Often spam will come with an attachment. Clicking on it will automatically download malicious software - malware - which is used to steal passwords.


The best advice when dealing with a suspect email is to delete it and never open attachments. - Daily Mail

PlayStation Breach good news: credit card info encrypted

One Aussie believes he has lost$2000 in the Sony PlayStation Network breach, his credit card apparently compromised.  Is he just the tip of a 75 million plus user iceberg?  Not according to recent information coming out of Sony.
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Find out how - FREE Featured Whitepaper Sony had a security breach, losing personal data details of over 75 million users of the PlayStation Network, the online network used byPlayStation 3 owners for multiplayer gaming, movie downloads and more.
Sony Computer Entertainment Australia responded to iTWire regarding the breach and some limited advice for those fearful of having been compromised.  But the question about credit card details and just what leaked information was ‘in the clear’ was left hanging.
Over at Gamepron.com there is a report of Rory Spreckley, who allegeshis credit card, the same one he uses on the PlayStation Network, has had some dubious transactions applied since the breach.
“I logged into my bank account just to check everything was OK and I found out there was some just over$2,000 in charges which I didn’t personally accrue.” Spreckley claims “There was a number of early transactions on the 23rd of amounts under $1, which they say is the usual kind of test run that fraudsters do and then there’s been a number of transactions of larger amounts, including domestic flights within Australia, bookings at Best Westerns [hotels] and what not.”
Not exactly firm evidence, but worrying.  Over at the official PlayStation blog however, a recent post by Senior Director of Corporate Communications & Social Media at Sony, Patrick Seybold seemsto allay some fears.
Seybold answers some of the burning questions including the simple query of just how credit card information was stored in the network.

Sony: Stolen PlayStation credit data was encrypted

NEW YORK -- Sony is telling PlayStation users that it had encrypted the credit card data that hackers may have stolen, reducing the chances that thieves could have used the information.


Sony Corp. says that while it had no direct evidence the data were even taken, it cannot rule out the possibility. It did not say how strong the encryption was, and it's possible for hackers to decipher files that are weakly encrypted.



On Tuesday, Sony said account information, including names, birthdates, e-mail addresses and log-in information, was compromised for certain players using its PlayStation Network. In a blog post Wednesday, Sony said that data had not been encrypted and had been kept in a separate location from the credit card information.

PlayStation Network Expected to Resume Service Tomorrow

Rumours about the current situation regarding the PlayStation Network outage are spreading like wildfire. This could well be due to Sony Computer Entertainment being very tight-lipped about the situation, unwilling to offer comment beyond that most necessary ‘we’re working on it’. However, a source close to the situation is much more optimistic. Read more at http://electronictheatre.co.uk/index.php/playstation3/playstation3-news/7890-playstation-network-expected-to-resume-service-tomorrow

PS3 online error codes - 80710A06 – How Do I Fix?

Getting this error code? DON’T PANIC!!!!



It’s simply all the playstation servers are being updated and serviced to protect them furtherfrom attacks. The screenshot above is from the Playstation Official Blog. It reads:



We’re aware certain functions of PlayStation Network are down. We will report back here as soon as we can with more information.



Thank you for your patience.
Give it an hour or two and try again. No need to reset your PS3. Just relax and try and play on the offline modes




Have a look at the Full Error Code List for other Errors. 

• 0710102 – DNS Error; No DSN server available.
  


• 8013030 – System Error due to failed update download
  


• 80010001 – Major Error , Game ability stopped
  


• 80010006 – An error occurred during the start operation (corrupted folding install)
  


• 80010007 – An error occurred during the start operation (during disc swap tests)
  


• 8001000B – it happens when trying to establish wireless connection
  


• 80010017 – Can’t start BlueRay Game
  


• 8001050B – Will not play demo hard drive games, (when blue-ray disc is inserted) – causeunknown
  


• 8001050D – An error during the start operation; Ps3 game swapped using the eject function and then play pressed quickly – ps3 game inserted again
  


• 8001050F – Hardware failure. Cannot update firmware or connect to internet.
  


• 80010510 – Will not play gamesinstalled on the hard drive
  


• 80010514 – Possibly reading blu-ray disc problem
  


• 80010516 – An error occurred during the start operation; Ps1 game swapped using the eject function and then play pressed quickly – ps1 game inserted again
  


• 80023101 – Unknown
  


• 80028E07 – which pops up when i try to update to 1.93 andsays that i have been disconnected from the server
  


• 80028EA5 – User cannot connect to PS3 network
  


• 80028EA6 – Connection error , Possible Proxy error power cord. Then shut off your modem/router, for about 5 minutes, then turn the modem back up first and let it sync, then turn the router back on(if using one) and let it sync. Reconnect your power cable andflip the back switch up again. Then make a new network connection.
  


• 80028EA8 – Seems to mean unable to authorize isp account details
  


• 80028F10 – Go to Display Settings then HDMI (or whatever your connection is) and choose Automatic,
  


• 80028F17 – Ps2 disc Boot Error ,An error occurred during the start operation; Ps2 game swapped using the eject function and then play pressed quickly – Backup ps2 game inserted again
  


• 80028F18 – Ps2 Disc Error, unsupported disc; eg. Utility discs, BB discs, IQ Remix game etc. ode).
  


• 80028F19 – PS2 Disc Error , fsck;the internal PS2 disk got corrupted and I guess that you can use HDD utility disc to fix it
  


• 80028F1A – Ps2 Disc Error , invalbnnetcfg; network config error
  


• 80029023 – Exchanging Key Information exchange has timed out
  


• 80029024 – “The attempt to obtain an IP address has timed out”.
  


• 80029301 – An error occurred during the delete operation (attempting to delete some ps2 homebrew from virtual mem card)
  


• 80029501 – connection
  


• 80029509 – When the PSN network is down for maintenance.
  


• 80029513 – This content cannotbe accessed on your account (80029513)
  


• 80029516 – Sign in to PLAYSTATION-Network (needed for some games or Ps3 processes – have to sign in to use them)
  


• 80029564 – Downloaded game will not install
  


• 80029751 – warhawk wont start but eveything else seems ok
  


• 80029945 – Can’t playback burnBD movie
  


• 80029946 – Attempting to play burnt Dual layer NTSC disc on a PAL ps3 ( workarounds is to transfer files to ps3 via TVersity)
  


• 80029C68 – Corrupt data usuallyon external device
  


• 8002A10B. It shows up when I try to view my friends trophies, profile etc.
  


• 8002A10D – Unable to Add friend in XMB
  


• 8002A4A6 – Cannot load game to play online
  


• 8002A515 – Error Signing in
  


• 8002A524 – connection
  


• 8002A548 – Unable to remain logged in – either to game or server
  


• 8002A705 – Unable to connect to server/host. Check router port configuration.
  


• 8002AD23 – Unknown
  


• 8002AD3D – Cannot Log into PSN – Is the PSN down? Try manually configuring your PS3 IP info. Try disabling medai server connection in the PS3.
  


• 8002B241 – DVI has no audio.
  


• 8002B71A – Possible NAT Error , Can log onto Game Server but can’t join game and can’t host game
  


• 8002F994 – Too many people downloading the update (download it later on)
  


• 8002F997 – Can not update XMBfirmware
  


• 80030001 – Deleting messages from inbox
  


• 8003041F – An error occurred during the copy operation (using media server)
  


• 80030517 – It seems to happen when you copy large media files.
  


• 8003051E – Game will not save
  


• 80030920 – An error occurred during the copy operation, the file may be corrupt or there isn’tenough memory (Try copying data from original source)
  


• 80031150 – “Setting information is corrupted.Press the x button to repair and restore default”
  


• 80031601 – Error Creating Account
  


• 8013013D – “A connection errorhas occurred” – May be to do with the SSID of the Router or signal strength if the connection drops Putting the PS3 into DMZ may help – otherwise check WPA key Ps3 can’t handle WPA2 only WPA or none
  


• 8013013D – connection
  


• 8013013E – WEP Key error, change WEP key to all numbers (on router homepage) and try agian, or which to WPA. – Otherwise disable security
  


• 80130203 – PS3 connects to internet but not to network – Typically means that the required ports are not open to connect to store but PS3 can connect to internet.
  


• 8013030F – Access Point not detected
  


• 8041040F – Communication with the server failed. A dsn error has occured.
  


• 80410418 – DNS Error
  


• 80410A0B – Internal PSP error, hardware fault. Send back to be replaced/fixed.
  


• 80710016 – Playstation Network is down.
  


• 80710092 – “An error has occurred. you’ve been signed out from the ps network” , “Media Server Error: A network error has occurred (80710092)”
  


• 80710101 – Connection error
  


• 80710102 – IP conflict , PS3 Cannot connect to the router with current IP information – Try rebooting your router
  


• 807101FF – An error occurred during communication with theserver. This is a DNS error – This is a DNS error
  


• 8071053D – Hard boot the PS3, turn off the PS3 to stand-by, flipoff the back switch and completely remove the power cord. Shut off your modem/router, for approx. 5 minutes, then turn the modem back up first and let it sync. Then turn the router back on (if you’re using one) and let it sync.Reconnect your power cable andflip the back switch up again. Then make a new network connection
  


• 80710541 – The connection to the server timed out.
  


• 80710723 – Possible Port Error – Try opening ports , TCP port: 80, 443, 5223 and UDP port: 3478, 3479, 3658. or add Ps3 toDMZ
  


• 80710A06 – An error occurred during the install operation (error when downloading game from PSN – network error occured
  


• 80710B23 – PS3 Network is Down or PS3 Network is too busy to respond
  


• 80710D23 – Turn the PS3 off forapprox. 30 minutes with the power toggle, not standby mode
  


• 81019002 – Error copying savesfrom location A to location B not open to connect to store butPS3 can connect to internet.

Sony reagiert auf Hacker-Angriff

Schon seit mehreren Tagen können Besitzer einer Playstation nicht mehr online spielen. Jetzt gibt der Konzern den Grund bekannt: Hacker hätten den Dienst attackiert.



Playstation-Spieler müssen derzeit auf den Onlinedienst der Konsole verzichten. Die Fehlermeldung "80710A06" taucht beim Versuch auf, sich einzuloggen. Online spielen ist derzeit nicht möglich. Zunächst war über Twitter lapidar von "Wartungsarbeiten" die Rede, jetzt hat Sony die Katze aus dem Sack gelassen.
Offenbar haben Hacker das Playstation Network angegriffen. Es habe ein "Eindringen von Außen" gegeben, heißt es im Blog des Unternehmens. Dies habe die Funktionsfähigkeit beeinträchtigt. Ob Nutzerdaten betroffen sind, ist nicht bekannt. Auch wer hinter den Angriffen steckt, teilte Sony nicht mit.
Der Konzern untersucht nach eigener Aussage den Fall genau und will das Playstation Network erst wieder verfügbar machen, wenn der "sichere Betrieb" gewährleistet ist. Einen Zeitpunkt nannte das Unternehmen nicht.

Via http://mobil.n-tv.de/technik/Sony-reagiert-auf-Hacker-Angriff-article3170421.html

Sony Makes it Official: PlayStation Network Hacked

Sony has confirmed that it took its PlayStation Network and Qriocity service offline to recoverfrom a hack attack
Posted on Saturday Apr 23, 2011 7:35 AM by Keir Thomas
When Sony's PlayStation Network was taken offline three days ago , all eyes fell on the Anonymous group, who've takena dislike to Sony over its treatment of hardware hacker George Hotz . The network allowsonline play between PlayStation 3 consoles and boasts 70 million users, so this is no small inconvenience.
Last night Sony confessed that an "external intrusion" caused the company to take-down the PlayStation Network and also Sony's Qriocity service in order"to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services going forward". However, they're not saying anything more, or giving a time scale as to when gamers will be able to resume playing online.
What makes it strange is that Anonymous has denied being involved, claiming " for once we didn't do it " and suggesting Sony was using rumors of an Anonymous attack as cover for an internal problem with their servers. As yet Anonymous hasn't responded to the latest update from Sony.
However, the decentralized nature of Anonymous means thatindividuals act alone with no governance, and Anonymous admitted that "it could be the case that other Anons have actedby themselves.
Via http://www.pcworld.com/article/226128/sony_makes_it_official_playstation_network_hacked.html