77 Million PlayStation Accounts Hacked

Sony is the latest Japanese company facing criticism for its delay in disclosing a massive security breach of private customer data.

The company said late on Tuesday that personal and security data of its 77 million PlayStation network users, including names, email addresses, passwords, logins, and credit card data may have been stolen.

Sony’s five-year-old PlayStation network offers games, music and movies to owners of PlayStation consoles. The bulk of its 77 million registered users are from the U.S. and Europe.

What’s sparking fury is Sony’s admission that it discovered the breach on April 19, but waited a week before disclosing that personal data had been compromised.

[Makoto Dozo, PlayStation Network User]:
„They’ve investigated the data breach for a week, and that’s fine. But they should also tell us that such a breach has taken place, so users can take their own precautions, like reducing use of the service.“

Sony says it took „several days of forensic investigation“ before the company knew consumers‘ data had been accessed.

The electronics giant is the latest Japanese company to come under fire for not disclosing bad news quickly.

Tokyo Electric Power was criticized for its handling of the nuclear crisis, while Toyota Motor was slammed for being less than forthright about problems over a massive vehicle recall.

The breach is a major setback for Sony.

Not only is the PlayStation franchise a flagship revenue earner, the company is hoping its new PlayStation-capable tablets would be a selling point to consumers.

Sony unveiled its first tablets only hours before announcing the data breach.

It’s advised registered customers to monitor credit card transactions closely, and to be aware of possible mail scams seeking sensitive data.

Sony shares fell over two percent Wednesday, against broader market gains.

Foto: NTD