back to article Sony’s sorry saga snowballs

A week after a humiliating public apology for the insecurity of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity service, Sony has been forced to delay the restart of its online games services. Sony, whose officials had repeatedly bowed as part of their self-abasement for the service crisis, has taken low-key approach to extending the PSN …

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  1. Paul Shirley

    very convenient timing

    Late Friday they sneaked out an excuse - another threatened hack. A delay was then almost inevitable. If it was real they couldn't afford to relaunch without *much* more testing.

    In my more cynical moments I might think they made the story up to cover not having the system fixed on time. The schedule was rather optimistic and this timing is far too convenient.

    Perhaps the 1st sign they've hired someone with the balls to say no to management.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    He who laughs...

    I strongly suspect that Sony is still looking for the stable door. Not easy to retrospectively apply code to a massive database and still expect it to function in a seamless manner.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Sometimes a wakeup call is what you need

    Sony has had theirs. Let's just hope that this teaches them a lesson that they won't soon forget.

    1. Doug Glass
      Go

      How many....

      ... wake up calls does it take?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sony’s sorry saga snowballs

    How can a company like that expose itself to this kind of thing?

    I'm a lawyer and I'll file for my own 2.5 billion class action suit tomorrow.

    1. The BigYin

      @AC

      Yeah....sure you are. Sure.

    2. Freckkles

      Really?

      Really?! the answer is sue, sue, sue... OMG... someone can hack your person computer.... have you had a loss because of this? I doubt it....be an adult and just deal with it.... OMG.. I forgot you are a lawyer... you may want to sue me now because I insulted you. This happens, if you are out for a quick buck, remind me to not have anything to do with you because we are at risk from people like you.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    "incredibly complex system"

    seemingly let down by a login screen that read:

    ENTER PASSWORD:

    (PASSWORD HINT: THE PASSWORD IS 'SONY')

    Yet Another Disappointed Sony Customer.

    I hope they realise the PS3 is the last Sony item many of us will ever buy.

    1. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
      Thumb Up

      Re: "last Sony item many of us will ever buy"

      Believe you me, I am going out of my way to dissuade any and everyone within my sphere of influence from buying or supporting anything Sony.

      And I suspect I'm not the only one.

      You've got a lot of fences to mend, Sony, not just your security.

      1. Thomas 4

        The Playstation Fence.....

        You're not allowed to put a gate in it but it has a hole big enough for next door's Rottweiller to get through.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bowing in apology isn't enough

    I want to see the bastards commit seppuku. That might *start* to redress their failure.

    1. Thomas 18
      Thumb Down

      sure

      Because loosing credit cards and personal details is a crime worthy of execution.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @AC

      I've called the hyperbole police, stay where you are, they'll be round to pick you up shortly.

  7. damien c

    Sony will loose allot because of this!!!!

    Well I for one will not be buying another Sony console and have not bought a Sony TV ever after seeing how, poor they went over the last few years compared to what they were like when I was growing up.

    This is going to cost them allot more than $1 billion with all the lawsuit's etc that are no doubt coming there way, and all the free content they say they are going to give to people.

    What I cannot understand though is how a company of this size have such a open network and leave all the data on a server, and not encrypt it properly it is a joke.

    Maybe next time they will learn from Apple with the fact that as far as I am aware they have never gone after the guy who, originally cracked the Iphone and developed the Jailbreaking software as they are aware of this type of thing happening if they did.

    Sony's money grabbing is there downfall yes they are a business but they can make money without being as stupid as they were.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Headmaster

      "Loose allot"?

      Is that anything like "lose a lot"?

      1. dogged

        Apparently not

        According to Hyperbole And A Half, an Allot is a large furry animal.

        It seems that Sony have loosed their Allots. Be aware.

        1. Doug Glass
          Go

          Sony needs to be alert too.

          The world needs more lerts.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Oh noes..

          wild allots on the loose..

    2. Red Bren
      Linux

      Free stuff

      "all the free content they say they are going to give to people."

      Any chance they could give us the OtherOS option back?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Go

      I'm going to start buying Sony...

      ...because after this string of fiascos they're going to be really sensitive to avoiding repeats.

      1. Doug Glass
        Go

        Yeah ...

        .... all the learning started with a rootkit right?

      2. Doug Glass
        Go

        Always marry ...

        ... a woman (or man) who has proof of being cured of Syphilis. How the infection came about is of no concern, just that the person is now clean and ready for duty.

  8. jake Silver badge

    Idiots.

    The mind boggles ... It kinda like watching the completely mindless morons fitting 24-inch rims and extremely low profile tires on minivans, and then trying to explain why it's a good idea ... to someone who has half a clue about the physics of ride & handling ...

    1. Doug Glass
      Go

      Some people ...

      ... just never grow out of the need for the "Baby Carriage" look.

      http://www.freecoloringsheets.net/view/Occasions/Baby_Carriage/

  9. Will Godfrey Silver badge
    Stop

    Smoke & Mirrors?

    There are rumors floating around that VISA have jumped in demanding audits etc. and that this is the real reason for the delays. Sony is simply not allowed to go back on line until the credit card companies are satisfied with security - hence the reference to 'external security experts' in Sony's last missive.

    Sounds quite reasonable to me, and quite like Sony to lie... yet again.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    PSN Still down?

    Muammar Gaddafi and Kim Jong Il are going to be shitting themselves

  11. A 31
    Thumb Down

    @AC

    "I'm a lawyer and I'll file for my own 2.5 billion class action suit tomorrow"

    yes, make a lot of money for not a lot of work, that's the spirit, jump on it, none of your doing, no skills required, but you'll make a lot of money.

    You are exactly what is wrong with our world.

    1. Ian Stephenson
      Troll

      He said lawyer not record company exec...

      Hey! That works too!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Here we go again...

    More monday moring Sony hate from the US....

    Can't decide if it's still Peal Harbour, Xenophobia or just fear of superior foreign products compared to the crappy homegrown stuff they have to endure that drives their hate-fueld "news"...

    Whichever one it is, it's rather pathetic, not quite as pathetic however as the Xbox warriors they have recruited in their quest.

    1. Doug Glass
      Go

      Wow!

      You really do know everything. Why are you still here commenting with the "common folk"?

    2. Fisher39

      Really Carole,

      don't hide behind Anonymous Coward. Poor effort this one.

  13. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Unhappy

    Not just Sony.

    Many, many years back, before the Anonyputzs had even graduated from Firewalls 101, I had a friend that "ran" a four-page website for her clan. One day she called me, completely bewildered, because someone had defaced her site. Security wasn't brilliant, but she'd never assumed that someone would actually want to attack a website which didn't even hold credit card details. A lot of gamers groups and sites grew up with the same idea, Sony amongst them by the look of it, and you have to wonder how many of the other big boys, like Steam, are actually relying on old code that may not be that secure. Steam is a worry as users often not only buy stuff, meaning Steam has their credit card details, but it also holds copious details on users systems, addresses, and gaming preferences. And it has a distribution system with hooks into the OS that could allow a hacker to install a botnet overnight to a massive number of powerful PCs, PCs with guaranteed broadband connections and probably limited security - a DDOSer's wetdream.

    I bet Sony are now doing the long-overdue security review, and are realising they have a lot of tightening up and probably re-coding to get to the point where they can go back to business with a solution fit for the current level of capable if mindless vandalism as espoused by the Anonyputzs. I only hope companies like Steam and Blizzard are doing the same.

    1. Doug Glass
      Go

      In business ...

      ... it;s called "an agonizing reappraisal".

  14. P Zero
    Linux

    Submit post: Sony’s sorry saga snowballs

    Maybe they should just give up on the PS3. Nintendo have given away their plans, maybe it's time for Sony to throw the baby out with the bath water and put on some sex tunes. It would certainly save them much more embarrassment and then the hackers can have their PS3s back.

  15. Riscyrich
    Stop

    People abandoning Sony?

    Don't own much Sony gear personally, mainly Panasonic in our house. So is anyone ready to flog me their PS3 / BRAVIA TV / PSP for much cheapness?

    No....?

    I thought so... heads down children.

    1. CASIOMS-8V
      Pint

      You can have my 32" VEGA CRT

      If you are prepared to collect. I will even give you a free beer.

      1. Thomas 4

        Offloaded my stuff already

        Sold my almost new PSP-3000 to a local Game store. Got peanuts for it.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Its life (sadly)

    Perhaps the OtherOS option was removed because Sony realised (too late) it could be used to hack their systems (or make it easier to test/develop/investigate). If this was the case the last thing they would want to do is point out it out. I'm not saying thats the case but just perhaps thats why it was removed and not just to annoy their customers but to try and protect them. Until we know the who/why/how of this hack, if we ever do, we will not know.

    As for threatening to not by Sony's products, well that's just amusing, that implies you think any of the rest are any better, based on what evidence? They haven't been hacked? Neither had Sony until a few weeks ago.

    Cancel your credit card, move on. Given the number of details stolen there is probably a small chance of you as an individual being picked for identify theft, most of the details are probably out there somewhere already anyway and more spam is hardly life threatening.

    1. Doug Glass
      Go

      When are you going to release ...

      ... the secret of cold fusion?

    2. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD
      Thumb Down

      @AC "It's life (sadly)"

      I'm actively boycotting Sony and have been even before this security debacle.

      Not because their products are shit... (The PS3 is an impressive piece of kit, some vaio lappies are incredibly well built).

      rather, mainly and chiefly because ...

      SONY TREAT US LIKE SHIT.

      (Basically if you f@#@ around with me I take my custom elsewhere).

      1. Charles 9

        Thing is...

        ...when EVERYONE treats you like garbage, you have wonder two things: one, that being treated like garbage is pretty much the price you pay for doing this kind of business (because all the nice guys finished last and dropped out already), and two, if you really ARE garbage, and that businesses now possess practically-captive market segment that will practically guarantee them profits no matter what they do (think iPhone/iPad zombies).

    3. damien c

      Sony not worth the money!!!!

      Well a PC is better for everything that the PS3 does, plays more games and with better graphic's and better controls.

      Panasonic and Pioneer make better TV's and Audio equipment.

      When I say I am not buying Sony products I mean it simply because I prefer to buy better stuff for half the price.

      My 42" 1080p Panasonic tv gives a better picture than any of the Sony tv's that are around for nearly twice as much in price.

      With Sony your paying 25% (rough estimate) of the price for the hardware and the rest is for the name.

      1. Andy Fletcher
        Unhappy

        Yours may well be bigger than mine...

        ...but it's a bit tactless to just come and out and say it just like that.

      2. Galidron

        PS3 hardware costs

        "With Sony your paying 25% (rough estimate) of the price for the hardware and the rest is for the name."

        I know that when the PS3 came out it was being sold as a loss leader. Maybe the hardware costs have dropped since that time, but I'm willing to bet good money that the hardware is well over 25% of the costs. It wouldn't surprise me if their music CDs fit your profile though.

  17. Anomalous Cowlard

    Executive summary

    Sh*te (tm) has hit the fan(s).

  18. Tom Kelsall

    There but for the Grace of...

    I just think that Sony were the unlucky victim here. Unlucky because I don't think that ANYONE invests heavily in the protection of consumer data or in security as a whole. Sony were singled out for some reason or another but I doubt it's because they were the easiest. Yes, as far as security and consumer protection goes, they're clearly incompetent; I just don't think they're that different to anyone else.

    Look at (was it Flickr?) who deleted a paying customer's account in its entirety and had no defined process to recover his content? This is NOT an unusual scenario - and I think companies are now going to have to start sacrificing some of their 30/40% profit margin to pay for ways to protect their infrastructure.

    1. hplasm
      Flame

      Yeah- that will happen

      When Old Nick buys a bobble hat...

      <--- Fire for his homies.

  19. James 32
    Grenade

    How much?

    no problem provided Sony pay me compensation. untilt hey do, I will never pay for any sony product or service again!!

  20. Riscyrich
    Pint

    @CASIOMS-8V

    We had a 32inch Sony CRT. Ended up having to up the voltage on the the electron guns to get a good picture out of it. Probably to the point where it was producing x-rays - lol

    So I'll pass on the CRT but the beer sounds good... :-)

  21. Mage Silver badge
    Pirate

    But Next...

    PSN and Sony are high Profile.

    Someone, somewhere is working to hack Xbox Live, iTunes, Google, AWS etc..

    Scrap that.

    Lots of people everyewhere are working to hack Xbox Live, iTunes, Google, AWS etc..

  22. /dev/null
    FAIL

    "Incredibly complex system"

    I think that's your problem right there. Any system which is described as "incredibly complex", even by the very people who are supposed to understand it, is never going to be provably secure and reliable.

    Keep It Simple Stupid, as the late great Kelly Johnson would say.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Maybe, just maybe

    If Sony had put their own house in order, before dragging customers through the courts, this might not have happened.

    At least we know where their priorities lie.

  24. Getter lvl70 Druid
    Alert

    <getting the shakes...>

    ...Tried casting root and started dotting when I realized my root failed and didn't stop the cop from pulling me over for tinted (17%) windows this past Saturday.....

    Damn Sony and especially damn EverCrack...

  25. Someone Else Silver badge
    Badgers

    Corporate Doublespeak 201

    “We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system,” the blog post says.

    Translated into English, this reads:

    "We were unaware of the extent of how screwed up our putative security was, and how clueless our developers were to security issues (excepting, of course rootkit generation, at which they are particularly adept). We are taking this opportunity to try to hire somebody...ANYBODY... who has a clue to fix this, as well as hiring some marketing types to come up with some way to spin this so we don't look like the complete asses we really are."

    There...sorted.

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