Playstation Network Breach – What Now?
If you’re a Playstation 3 owner, you definitely need to take precautions to a recent hack on the Playstation Network. Last week, Sony’s Playstation Network (PSN) was hacked. Sony has confirmed that user information was exposed and cautions all users to be wary in the coming days and weeks.
So what information was taken exactly?
Well first, even if you never bought anything from the PSN store, if you’ve registered your Playstation (created an account, played online, etc.), you’re still at risk. Sony is sure that the following information has been exposed:
- Name
- Birthday
- Address
- Playstation login/password
- Security question/answer
Sony has not yet confirmed, but cautions that credit card information and purchase history may have been leaked as well. In fact, they caution “If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.”
So what now? What do I do?
- Check your account balance, whether you used a credit or debit card. In fact, you’ll want to do this carefully moving forward. Any fraudulent purchases can be disputed so long as it’s done within 60 days.
- Get a replacement card. Don’t cancel your account – that can potentially harm your credit history. Instead, ask for a new card to be sent over.
- Change your passwords, especially if you use the same email/password login across various services.
- Be cautious with all emails (as well as mail and phone calls). There’s a very good chance that you’ll receive emails from “trusted” services (banks, Playstation, etc.) – they may be phishing scams, especially if they ask you to click on links and/or enter personal information. Avoid all links and contact the service direct (whether online or phone).
- One work around from using your credit card (should you decide to purchase items on the PSN) is to use pre-paid PSN cards (found across retailers such as Gamespot and Best Buy).
Sony is rebuilding the entire network. If you’re waiting to play online, you may need to wait several days before the entire service is up and running. Whether or not Sony will provide any compensation for this situation is still anyone’s guess as well. The story is far from over, but there’s much you can do now to minimize the potential damage on your end.
*Update* For those on the fence about replacing their credit card, Sony has stated in a recent QA that “The entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken. The personal data table, which is a separate data set, was not encrypted, but was, of course, behind a very sophisticated security system that was breached in a malicious attack… While all credit card information stored in our systems is encrypted and there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.”
For more on the Q&A, check out the official Playstation Blog.
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