***PSN & SOE Compromised - Problems with Welcome Back? Help & FAQ - Post #1***

[The Sarge]

Sony have finally announced why PSN was taken down so abruptly last week. As many had already guessed, their network was hacked, but it doesn't end there as all PSN users details were stolen. From names and addresses to passwords, email addresses and date of births. Sony claim Credit and Debit card details might not have been compromised, but advise everyone to keep an eye on their statements for the forseeable future.

Welcome Back content is live!

Q: What’s in the Welcome Back Program?

A: To start, all PSN members who had signed up before the outage (April 21, 2011) will be able to select two free games for the PS3 and two free games for the PSP.

For PS3 owners, go to the ‘Welcome Back’ section in the PlayStation Store, and select 2 titles from the following list:

* Dead Nation

* inFAMOUS

* LittleBigPlanet

* Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty

* Wipeout HD + Fury

For PSP owners, go to the ‘Welcome Back’ section of PlayStation Store on your PSP system and select 2 titles from the following list:

* LittleBigPlanet (PSP)

* ModNation Racers

* Pursuit Force

* Killzone Liberation

*For the German market, InFamous and Dead Nation will be replace with Super Stardust HD and Hustle Kings in the selection of PS3 games. Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation will be replaced with Everybody’s Golf 2 and Buzz Junior Jungle Party in the selection of PSP games. Killzone Liberation will not offer online gameplay functionality.

How to claim your free games

* Go to PlayStation Store from the XMB

* Click on the Welcome Back banner on the Storefront or the Latest tab

* Go into the Welcome Back category and select the ‘PlayStation 3 Free Games’ item, and then select ‘Get Now’ on the following screen

* You will be taken back to the Welcome Back section where you will be able to select your two free games

* These instructions are applicable to both PS3 and PSP

In addition, we’re giving free access to our premium subscription service, PlayStation Plus, which includes free games, huge discounts, exciting exclusives and added features like online storage and automatic downloads, to all PSN members for 30 days at no charge, requiring no long term commitment. As with the games above, go to the PlayStation Store and under the ‘Welcome Back’ section, select ‘PlayStation Plus: 30 Days Free’, and you’ll be given access to all of the benefits of PlayStation Plus. Note that this will not auto-renew and simply expires 30 days after activation.

Current Plus subscribers had an extra 60 days added to their existing subscription at no charge. For current Plus subscribers, no action is needed as the 60 days have automatically been added to your subscription. Another additional 10 days will be added to your subscription in a few days’ time.

PlayStation Network users will also get a large number of free virtual items in PlayStation Home as a show of appreciation for your patience while Home was inaccessible. More information and will be available in the near future, so watch out for any announcements from the PlayStation Home team.

A selection of “On Us” movie rentals are currently available to PlayStation Network customers this weekend only, where Video Service is available.

As part of our Welcome Back package, we're treating all PlayStation Network users to three fantastic films this weekend. All are available to download now to your PlayStation 3 system from the Video Store of PlayStation Store.

Take a trip to an American University in House of the Dead 2 and meet the deranged Professor Curien who's murdering students and trying to bring them back to life in a bizarre experiment. This action-packed zombie thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Even more zombies are on the rampage in Resident Evil: Degeneration after a deadly virus is unleashed by a rogue warrior. A chilling mystery is uncovered in this tale of survival - will Claire Redfield and her buddy Leon be able to terminate the virus before it's too late?

In Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, female scientist Aki Ross must protect Earth from an alien invasion that threatens mankind's future. This science fiction adventure is packed with an all-star cast including Steve Buscemi, Donald Sutherland and Alec Baldwin.

You can download all three of these great films from the Video Store of PlayStation Store from now until midnight on 5 June 2011.

For more details on other Welcome Back offers, visit eu.playstation.com/welcomeback.

Please note that this promotion applies to the UK only. The following films are available for the stated territories.

Italy:

Bad Boys II

Hostel

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

France:

Pineapple Express

Punisher: War Zone

Step Brothers

Spain:

Hostel

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Chick

Germany:

Charlie's Angels

Desperado

The Mask of Zorro

Australia:

Black Hawk Down

Hostel

You Don't Mess with the Zohan

Finally, current Music Unlimited Premium subscription members will receive an additional 60 days of free premium subscription. Any Music unlimited free trial users who were affected by the outage will receive 30 days of service.

Q: When will I have access to the Welcome Back Program?

A: The content offered as part of the Welcome Back Program is available for download today and will be available for 30 days.

Q: I have both PS3 and PSP. Does this mean I will get 4 games all together?

A: Yes, as long as you were a PSN member before April 20, 2011, you’ll be able to receive up to 4 games based on the titles listed above; 2 on each platform.

Q: Are there any limitations to the PS3 and PSP games we are receiving for free as part of the Welcome Back Program?

A: None. These games are yours to keep.

Q: I no longer have the option to choose my free Welcome Back games. What can I do?

A: If you navigate away from the Welcome Back section of the store without choosing your free games or exit the store completely you may need to follow the below in order to choose and download your free games.

1. On your PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable navigate to the PlayStation Network icon on the XMB

2. Log into your PlayStation Network account and choose Account Management > Transaction Management > Services List

3. Choose “PlayStation Network Promotions” from the list of services displayed

4. Select either “PS3 Free Games” or “PSP Free Games” and then choose “Select Content”

You will be taken to the store to choose your remaining free games.

Q: When does the 30 days of my PlayStation Plus access expire?

A: Your PlayStation Plus 30 day access will expire 30 days from the date you activated it in PlayStation Store.

Q: Do I get to keep the free games in PlayStation Plus forever?

A: Content that is free in PlayStation Plus will not be available after your PlayStation Plus time has expired. However, if you decide to join PlayStation Plus, you’ll have access to all of the content you downloaded during your 30 day access for as long as you are a subscriber.

Q: Do I get to keep any games or content I purchased with the PlayStation Plus discount?

A: Yes. Any content you purchase at a discount is yours to keep, regardless of your subscription status.

Q: What content will be in PlayStation Plus when I activate my 30 days?

A: A full list of available PlayStation Plus content and discounts for our Welcome Back customers was detailed on the blog earlier this week.

Q: Where can I find the Welcome Back content in Home?

A: We are still putting our Welcome Back content for Home together and will communicate this soon. Check back here for more details – our aim is to give away content that has not been available before.

Remember, if you didn’t see your question answered above, drop us a line below and we’ll do our best to answer it. Welcome Back!

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/06/03/welcome-back-content-is-available-now-frequently-asked-questions-answered/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/06/03/welcome-back-content-is-available-now-frequently-asked-questions-answered/

PlayStation Store is back up, end is in sight.

I’m happy to confirm that PlayStation Store is open and you can now download content and redeem voucher codes. We will update you with the full lists of new content available to PlayStation Network members and PlayStation Plus subscribers here on the PlayStation.Blog in the next few hours.

You may have noticed that the content promised as part of the Welcome Back offer is not yet live. It is currently in the final stages of testing and will be available to download very soon; we’ll be sure to let you know when.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/06/02/playstation-store-is-available-now/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/06/02/playstation-store-is-available-now/

PS Store to be up by the end of the week

Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced today that Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) will fully restore all PlayStation®Network services in the Americas, Europe/PAL territories and Asia, excluding Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea by the end of this week. The company will also resume Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™ for PlayStation®3 (PS3®), PSP® (PlayStation®Portable), VAIO and other PCs. Details for Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea as well as the remaining services on Qriocity will be announced as they become available.

The company implemented considerable security enhancements to the network infrastructure, as well as conducted testing of the payment process and commerce functions. The first phase of PlayStation Network and Qriocity restoration began on May 15 in the Americas and Europe/PAL territories, followed by Japan and Asian countries and regions on May 28, when the company brought partial services back online. With this partial restoration users were able to access to some of the services such as online game play, account management, friend lists and chat functionality were restored. The full restoration of PlayStation Network as well as part of services to become available on Qriocity will include:

* Full functionality on PlayStation®Store

* In-game commerce

* Ability to redeem vouchers and codes

* Full functionality on Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PCs

* Full functionality on Media Go

Customers can now purchase and download games and video content from the PlayStation®Store on PS3 or PSP. In addition, consumers will have full access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity through PS3, PSP, VAIO and other PC’s. Service restoration of Video on Demand powered by Qriocity™ and Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for a variety of network-enabled Sony devices will be announced later.

“We have been conducting additional testing and further security verification of our commerce functions in order to bring the PlayStation Network completely back online so that our fans can again enjoy the first class entertainment experience they have come to love,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “We appreciate the patience and support shown during this time.”

The company will be offering customers a “Welcome Back” package of services and premium content to all registered PlayStation Network* and Qriocity account services. The details of this program will continue to be detailed regionally.

* Only available for those countries with access to PlayStation®Store.

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201105/11-0531E/index.html

PSN Maintenanc​e Incoming

The PSN will be down for maintenance on Tuesday 31st May at 19.00 GMT until Wednesday 1st June 01.00 GMT.

During this time the following will not be available:

* PC Registration

* Console Storefront

* PS3 Account Management

* PS3 Network Account Registration

* PSP Network Account Registration

* Qriocity Account Management

If you are signed in before this time you should stay connected and you will not lose your gaming session. Dare we mention the return of the PlayStation Store?

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/05/27/psn-maintenanc%E2%80%8Be-incoming/

Fraud Protection Service Sign ups are GO!

http://www.fraudprotect.co.uk/

If you were a PlayStation Network or Qriocity account holder as of 20 April 2011 and aged 18 years or over you may qualify for 12 months FREE cover. You have the option of enrolling in the program for 60 days from 20th May 2011.

If you qualify for this offer, please call

0800 456 5913

Lines are open 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday (excluding bank holidays).

If you were a Sony Online Entertainment account holder as of 2 May 2011 and aged 18 years or over you may qualify for 12 months FREE cover. You have the option of enrolling in the program for 60 days from 14th May 2011, the date on which Sony Online Entertainment services came back online.

If you qualify for this offer, please call

0800 456 5913

Lines are open 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday (excluding bank holidays).

PSN Goes Offline Again Today

The PlayStation Network will be offline from 4pm today until midnight, suggesting that the Store will be back up and running tomorrow, as previously rumoured.

“PlayStation Network [will be] offline for scheduled maintenance,” says an update from Sony today, which also states that that gamers will be unable to access the following services:

* PlayStation Store on PS3 and PSP.

* PlayStation Network Account Management.

* PlayStation Network Account Registration.

“In addition,” says the bulletin, “you will not be able to sign in to PlayStation Network from eu.playstation.com.”

“If you wish to play online during the maintenance, please ensure you sign in to PSN before 16:00 on Tuesday 24 May 2011.”

“During this maintenance, you can continue to collect in-game trophies and these will be updated on your profile once PlayStation Network is back up and running.”

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/05/24/psn-goes-offline-again-today-store-tomorrow/

PSN Store to possibly return on May 24th, Biweekly Updates Promised.

Barring any additional problems, Sony plans to bring the PlayStation Store back online next Tuesday, May 24, according to a memo sent to Sony's game developer and publishing partners.

The company has sent a tentative publishing schedule to partners detailing when their games, expansions and other releases will become available to players. In the memo, obtained by Gamasutra, Sony unveils plans to do two content pushes per week for the next two weeks to catch up with the backlog of content.

"We thank you for your patience as we work to resume service of the PlayStation Store," wrote PSN content manager Jack Osorno to developer partners.

The first push, set to coincide with the PlayStation Store's reopening, will distribute content that was originally scheduled to publish on April 26. Three days later on the 27th, another round of games will go live, which were originally scheduled for May 3.

The following week, pushes will take place on May 31 and June 3, using content that originally had been planned to be spread over three weeks. At that point, the company will be back on schedule and, presumably, return to a single content push per week.

While Sony is trying to maintain the queue that was already in place, the company says it is willing to move some titles around, depending on urgency. Seemingly, this would include DLC packs for existing titles that have already released expansions on other platforms.

"If there are concerns, we are willing to consider adjusting the release date of your content on this schedule," says Osorno. "Adjustments will be made on a case by case basis."

The launch of the PlayStation Store is one of the final steps to bringing the PlayStation Network back to full operation. Sony has said many times that it expected the network to be fully operational before the end of May.

Osorno's note does not detail what plans, if any, Sony has to assist developers who were impacted by the outage.

In some cases, that impact has been substantial. Capcom corporate officer and SVP Christian Svensson, for instance, has previously estimated the company's lost revenue from the outage as being in the "hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars."

Other developers have remained more supportive of Sony, but have made public appeals to the company to assist them with marketing their titles once the Store goes back online so that they might recoup any losses.

Sony, though, is actually in something of a power position -- especially with smaller developers. Despite the security crisis, the company remains one of the most powerful players in the video game industry, so few, if any, small shops are going to make a lot of noise complaining about the way they feel they have been treated. While some could jump to Microsoft's Xbox Live platform, they're unlikely to do so immediately.

For consumers, the relaunch of the PlayStation Store should get them one step closer to being able to claim the contents of their "Welcome Back" package. As detailed on Sony's U.S. PlayStation Blog, PlayStation 3 owners with existing PSN accounts will be able to download two free games from a pool that includes Dead Nation, Infamous, LittleBigPlanet, Super Stardust HD and Wipeout HD.

Sony has said that those (and other) freebies would be made available once services are fully restored.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34739/Sony_Tells_Dev_Partners_PlayStation_Store_To_Return_May_24.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+%28Gamasutra+News%29

Exploit Fixed!

We temporarily took down the PSN and Qriocity password reset page. Contrary to some reports, there was no hack involved. In the process of resetting of passwords there was a URL exploit that we have subsequently fixed.

Consumers who haven’t reset their passwords for PSN are still encouraged to do so directly on their PS3. Otherwise, they can continue to do so via the website as soon as we bring that site back up.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/18/update-on-psn-password-reset-process/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/18/update-on-psn-password-reset-process/

Password Exploit Discovered.

I want to make this clear to ALL PSN users. Despite the methods currently employed to force a password change when you first reconnect to the PlayStation network, your accounts still remain unsafe.

A new hack is currently doing the rounds in dark corners of the internet that allows the attacker the ability to change your password using only your account’s email and date of birth.

It has been proven to me through direct demonstration on a test account, so I am without any shadow of a doubt that this is real.

I would suggest that you secure your accounts now by creating a completely new email that you will not use ANYWHERE ELSE, and switching your PSN account to use this new email. You risk having your account stolen, when this hack becomes more public, if you do not make sure that your PSN account’s email is one that cannot be affiliated with or otherwise traced to you.

While we originally assumed this was a poor hoax designed only to stir the community into another frenzy, the individual who we are in contact with requested just two pieces of information from us: this being an account email and the date of birth used for that account. We promptly created a new account via us.playstation.com and provided the individual with the email address and date of birth used.

Roughly a minute later they requested that we try to login with the password we used for the account (which they did not know at any point), and sure enough, we were presented with an invalid username and/or password prompt.

In addition to this, within a few minutes we received an email from Sony stating the following:

This email confirms that your PlayStation®Network password account has been changed successfully.

If you did not change your password…

This email has been sent to you because the password for the relevant PlayStation®Network account has been changed.

If you did not change your password, please contact Customer Support at the following address:

networksupport@uk.playstation.com

The PlayStation®Network Team

While we will not reveal specific details regarding how the exploit is performed for obvious reasons, we can say that the exploit involves a vulnerability in the password reset form currently implemented, not properly verifying tokens.

UPDATE: In the interest of sidestepping the naysayers and getting the warning out there, if someone working for a larger, more well known site (Kotaku, Destructoid, IGN, etc) wants to contact me for a live demonstration that this exploit is the real deal, you can do so at nevada@nyleveia.com.

UPDATE 2: Web based PSN login / Password recovery is now down for maintenance, hopefully as a result of our contact with SCEE. And more importantly, hopefully to fix the security issue.

UPDATE 3: To clarify the situation, we had confirmed ourselves the method used last night, and contacted SCEE, SCEE have acted upon this information, we felt the information previously provided in our tweets and this article may have been a little too revealing to the vulnerability, thus we “dumbed down” the explanation of the security hole. We have provided SCEE with a detailed description of the security hole.

While it’s unclear at this time if they will actually patch the flaw while they have the system taken down, I can also confirm that the system went down approximately 15 minutes after I received a response from SCEE on the matter.

We for rather obvious reasons do not want to elaborate further on the exact details of the exploit, on the off chance that when the web based interface for PSN is restored the exploit has not been patched.

We will update with further details as soon as possible.

http://sony.nyleveia.com/2011/05/17/warning-all-psn-users-your-accounts-are-still-not-safe/

Identity Theft Protection

Last week we informed you that we would be liaising with providers of identity theft protection plans following the malicious attack on PlayStation Network throughout our region. We are now in a position to provide you with actual details of the programme for current PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers in UK, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

As I have explained previously, identifying such programmes for the many countries within the SCEE region is a very complicated process. Each country has a different way of handling identity theft; whilst some offer relatively sophisticated services, others may not. Therefore, we must stress that this is an ongoing process which will see new identity theft protection programmes identified where possible.

That said, we are pleased to advise that Affinion International Limited, a leader in identity protection products in Europe, will be offering a comprehensive service that covers a significant proportion of PSN users free of charge for the first 12 months.

Affinion International Limited will be offering the following identity theft protection service and insurance through their fraud protect programme for the UK, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

The fraud protect proposition cover three key areas:*

Personal Information protection

* Monitoring and Alerting Service

* Personal Information Protection Software

Help / Assistance and guidance

* Dedicated helpline

* Victim of Fraud support

Financial Protection

* Insurance that covers the expenses incurred in identity restoration following identity fraud

* Card Monitoring and Alerting Service

We are still working to identify similar services for those countries not covered by this offering, and this will depend on reputable businesses offering appropriate services. As such, we promise to keep you updated on progress right here on PlayStation.Blog.

We will provide you with information on how to contact Affinion shortly about this service.

Please note that PSN customers under the age of 18 are advised to consult their parent or guardian.

*For information as to the terms and conditions of Affinion International Limited’s programme please visit:

UK – http://www.fraudprotect.co.uk/

France – http://www.fraudprotect.fr/

Italy – http://www.fraudprotect.it/

Germany – http://www.fraudprotect.de/

Spain – http://www.fraudprotect.es/

* For eligibility for fraud protect consumers must be 18+ and be an account holder on 20 April 2011.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/17/details-of-snee-scees-identity-theft-protection-programme/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/17/details-of-snee-scees-identity-theft-protection-programme/

Welcome Back Package details.

Now that certain PSN services have been restored and you’re once again enjoying online gaming, it seems a good time to confirm what is being offered as part of the Welcome Back programme.

Once we restore PlayStation Store, which will be just a little while longer, you will have the opportunity to claim your Welcome Back gifts. Please note that the Welcome Back programme is only available for those countries with access to PlayStation Store*.

All existing PlayStation Network members will be able to access the following from PlayStation Store*:

Two PS3 games from the following list:

* LittleBigPlanet

* Infamous*

* Wipeout HD/Fury

* Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty

* Dead Nation*

For those with PSP accounts, you will also be eligible to download two PSP games from the following list:

* LittleBigPlanet PSP

* ModNation PSP

* Pursuit Force

* Killzone Liberation*

- 30 days free PlayStation Plus membership for non PS Plus subscribers*

- Existing PlayStation Plus subscribers will be given 60 days free subscription.

- For existing Music Unlimited subscribers, you will be given 30 days free subscription.

- We are working on a Welcome Back offer in PlayStation Home and will share that when it is confirmed.

I would like to thank all of the developers and publishers involved in this programme for their support in making this happen. We certainly couldn’t have done it without you.

You will be able to access this content once PlayStation Store comes back online and we are doing everything we can to make that happen as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support and keep checking back on the blog for more information.

1. For eligibility for the welcome back programme consumers must be an account holder on 20 April 2011. Specific details about these offers and eligibility requirements will be posted as the services go live. All existing PSN registrants have 30 days from when the welcome back programme goes live to redeem their content.

2. For the German market, InFamous and Dead Nation will be replace with Super Stardust HD and Hustle Kings in the selection of PS3 games.

3. For the German market, Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation will be replaced with Everybody’s Golf 2 and Buzz Junior Jungle Party in the selection of PSP games. Killzone Liberation will not offer online gameplay functionality.

4. Access to the 30 days free PS Plus subscription is only available for those countries where PS Plus is offered. You will have access to the PS Plus content planned for May for 30 days. Access to the free games and exclusive features finishes at the end of the 30-day subscription period. Anything you buy with exclusive discounts, dynamic themes and premium avatars are yours to keep forever.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/16/details-of-the-welcome-back-programme-for-scee-users-2/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/16/details-of-the-welcome-back-programme-for-scee-users-2/

Restoration FAQ

Q: So what exactly is working right now?

A: Sign-in for PlayStation Network and Qriocity (including the resetting of passwords), online gameplay for PS3 and PSP, playback of rental video content on PS3 (if within rental period), Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity on PS3 (for current subscribers), access to services such as Mubi and Vidzone, “Friends” category on PS3 (including Friends List, Chat Functionality, Trophy Comparison, etc), and PlayStation Home.

Q: I’m having trouble changing my password/I forgot which email I used on my account/I used a fake email to set up my account.

A: Visit eu.playstation.com/ps3psn for a set of tips on resetting your password. If you’ve gone through the process and are waiting for an email from us, please note that the very large number of requests has caused certain ISPs to slow the rate at which recipients get emails from us. Please be patient as the systems work through the backlog.

Q: The PlayStation Store hasn’t updated since April 19th. When can I download digital games that were planned to be released since then?

A: To date, three Wednesday publishes were missed and rest assured that you won’t miss any of this great content. To catch up on the large amount of material, we’ll be publishing to the PlayStation Store multiple times per week once commerce functionality is restored. We will update the PlayStation.Blog with information on timing of the Store restoration, as well as the full list of new content as each publish occurs.

Q: How will PlayStation Plus members be affected by the PSN downtime? A number of games/items were slated to go live or come down on April 26th.

A: We will be picking back up with the PlayStation Plus content calendar right where we left off, to ensure that you won’t miss out on anything.

Q: Sucker Punch has indicated that they will extend the inFAMOUS 2 beta. Any details?

A: Sucker Punch is evaluating extending the inFAMOUS 2 beta, as well as expanding its scope. Stay tuned for more details here in the coming days.

Q: Is anything special planned for the SOCOM: Special Forces multiplayer community?

A: Zipper will announce details on activities to re-engage fans of SOCOM: Special Forces who have patiently waited to play online.

Q: How can I redeem the Welcome Back offer that was mentioned by Kazuo Hirai? What’s in it?

A: Hang tight – we’ll be announcing all the details soon.

Q: When will the PlayStation.Blog start talking about games again?

A: Tomorrow! Thank you for bearing with us as our role changed over the past few weeks. James will be back tomorrow and will be talking games every day leading up to E3, which is just a few short weeks away.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/16/psn-faq-restoration-questions-answered/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/16/psn-faq-restoration-questions-answered/

Email Password Reset Update

Some of you have mentioned that you have not received your password reset emails. With the huge number of people coming back online at the same time and resetting their passwords, it is creating significant email traffic to ISPs. The consequence is that some of the ISPs are throttling the emails.

We are currently trying to resolve this, but in the meantime please be patient and refrain from submitting multiple requests. You will receive you reset email and be able to get back to enjoying your online gaming.

Update:

We’re currently experiencing an extremely heavy load of password resets, so we recently had to turn off services for approximately 30 minutes to clear the queue.

If you’ve requested your password reset, please give it a bit of time to reach your email.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/16/email-password-reset-notice/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/16/email-password-reset-notice/

Update - May 15th, 11pm.

Intermittent service due to heavy traffic. If you have problems logging in, keep trying every few minutes.

Update - May 15th, 10.15pm.

Sony responds, it's server related issues. PSN is down WW.

Please bear with us as we continue working on #PSN restoration. We are experiencing extremely heavy traffic.

Update - May 15th, 9.40pm.

PSN is currently back down for maintenance. No word from Sony on why it's down, it's most likely due to server strain from a large chunk of users attempting to sign in/download the latest FW at the same time.

The error you'll see is - 80710D36. No advice beyond keep trying every few mins and you'll hopefully be able to sign in/get to the password change page.

PSN Back Up!

PSN is up and running in the UK, Ireland, the US, the EU and the M.E. If you've already downloaded the new FW, attempt to sign in and you'll be able to change your password.

**Note**

Only playing online and certain account features will be accessible at this point, the store will go live by the end of the month. Check back here for more details.

System Software Update

We have been working on a new PS3 system software update that requires all PSN users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. The update (v3.61) is mandatory and is available now.

If using a PS3, your password can only be changed on your own PS3 (or a PS3 on which your PSN account was activated), as an added layer of security. If you have never downloaded any content using your account on the system, an email will be sent to the registered sign-in ID (email address) associated with your account when you first attempt to sign-in to PSN. This e-mail will contain a link that will enable you to change your password. In this email, click on the link and follow the instructions to change your password. Once you have changed your password you can sign-in to your account using your new password.

We strongly recommend that all PSN account holders with PS3s update their systems to prepare for when PlayStation Network is back online. The release of this update is a critical step as we work to make PlayStation Network significantly more secure. Thank you for your continued support and patience.

Thank you for your patience and encouragement over the last few weeks. As covered in the post from earlier today, you can now update the firmware on your PS3 and change your password. Kazuo Hirai just announced that we have begun the phased restoration by region of some of the services, starting with online multiplayer functionality.

Please note that these services will take a bit of time to be turned on and rolled out to the whole region. The process has begun and some countries are being turned on now, so please be patient as we reach you.

In the meantime, now’s a great time to get your PS3′s firmware updated and change your password, both of which are required to get online.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/15/play-on-psn-restoration-begins-now/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/15/play-on-psn-restoration-begins-now/

PSN Relaunch Announcement

The story so far...

PSN Restoration Timeline Update

I know you all want to know exactly when the services will be restored. At this time, I can’t give you an exact date, as it will likely be at least a few more days. We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work through this process.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/10/psn-restoration-timeline-update/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/10/psn-restoration-timeline-update/

Sony’s PlayStation, Qriocity Services Remain Shut, ‘Uncertain’ on Restart

Sony Corp. (6758)’s PlayStation Network and Qriocity online services remain shut as of today, Shigenori Yoshida, a Tokyo-based spokesman said. Sony is uncertain when it can resume the services, Yoshida said by phone today.

The company is in the process of adopting an improved security system and its plan to restart the services fully by May 31 is unchanged, he said. Sony shut down the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services April 20 because of possible data theft by hackers.

The maker of PS consoles had planned to restart partial operations within a week after boosting the level of security system, the company said May 1.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-09/sony-s-playstation-qriocity-services-remain-shut-uncertain-on-restart.html

Service Update

As you may know, we’ve begun the process of restoring the service through internal testing of the new system. We’re still working to confirm the security of the network infrastructure, as well as working with a variety of outside entities to confirm with them of the security of the system. Verifying the system security is vital for the process of restoration. Additional comprehensive system checks and testing are still required, and we must complete that process before bringing the systems online.

As you’ve heard us say, our utmost priorities are the security of the network and ensuring your data is safe. We won’t restore the services until we can test the system’s strength in these respects.

When we held the press conference in Japan last week, based on what we knew, we expected to have the services online within a week. 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. We know many of you are wanting to play games online, chat with your friends and enjoy all of the services PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer, and trust me when I say we’re doing everything we can to make it happen. We will update you with more information as soon as we have it. We apologize for the delay and inconvenience of this network outage.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/07/service-restoration-update/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/07/service-restoration-update/

Identity Theft Update, Welcome Back programme detailed.

Both Kazuo Hirai and Sir Howard Stringer have stated that we will be offering identity theft protection for those affected by the malicious attack on PlayStation Network and many of you may have seen the details of the service available in North America.

As I have explained previously, creating a similar offering for the many countries within the SCEE region is a very complicated process. Each country has a different way of handling identity theft; some offer relatively sophisticated services whilst others are much more modest.

We are currently in the process of identifying how we manage this situation and once the programme is ready to launch, we will provide details of exactly which services are available in each country and explain how to sign up. We hope to do this early next week.

Also, look out for more information on the rest of our Welcome Back programme, including which free content you will be eligible for. We will be offering PSN users the opportunity to select two PS3 games from a list of five, as well as offering PSP users the opportunity to choose two games from a list of four. We will let you know exactly what games are available very soon.

Please be assured that we are continuing to work around the clock to have some PlayStation Network and Qriocity services restored and will provide you with specific details shortly.

http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/06/scee-identity-theft-protection-offering/'>http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2011/05/06/scee-identity-theft-protection-offering/

Third attack planned?

A group of hackers says it is planning another wave of cyberattacks against Sony in retaliation for its handling of the PlayStation Network breach.

An observer of the Internet Relay Chat channel used by the hackers told CNET today that a third major attack is planned this weekend against Sony's Web site. The people involved plan to publicize all or some of the information they are able to copy from Sony's servers, which could include customer names, credit card numbers, and addresses, according to the source. The hackers claim they currently have access to some of Sony's servers.

Should the planned attack succeed, it would be the latest blow in a series of devastating security breaches of Sony's servers over the past month. The failure of Sony's server security has ignited investigations by the FBI, the Department of Justice, Congress, and the New York State Attorney General, a well as data security and privacy authorities in the U.K., Canada, and Taiwan.

Several weeks ago the hacker group known as Anonymous targeted several Sony Web sites, including Sony.com and SonyStyle.com, with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in retaliation for what its members saw as Sony's unfair legal action against hacker George Hotz. Two weeks ago Sony's PlayStation Network, along with its Qriocity service and Sony Online, were the target of an attack that exposed the personal information of more than 100 million Sony customers. Sony was forced to shut down PSN, Qriocity, and Sony Online, and is currently working to bring them back online after rebuilding the security of its servers.

Sony says it doesn't know who orchestrated what it's calling a "highly sophisticated, planned" attack, but it has dropped hints that the group Anonymous is involved. Kazuo Hirai, chairman of Sony Computer Entertainment, told a Congressional subcommittee in a letter yesterday that the intruders on its servers planted a file named "Anonymous" containing the statement "We are Legion," part of the group's tagline.

Anonymous issued a statement yesterday denying it was involved in the PSN breach. "While we are a distributed and decentralized group, our 'leadership' does not condone credit card theft," the statement said.

Now it seems the same group of hackers that was able to infiltrate the PSN servers is planning to hit back against Sony.

Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20060227-260.html#ixzz1LYhYaOAA

Really? What the hell is the point? (if this is true of course)

Final Stages of Testing

Today our global network and security teams at Sony Network Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment began the final stages of internal testing of the new system, an important step towards restoring PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.

As previously mentioned, we’ve been working around the clock to rebuild the network and enhance protections of your personal data. It’s our top priority to ensure your data is safe when you begin using the services again.

We understand that many of you are eager to again enjoy the PlayStation Network and Qriocity entertainment services that you love, so we wanted you to be aware of this milestone and our progress. We will provide additional updates as soon as we can.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/05/important-step-for-service-restoration/'>http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/05/important-step-for-service-restoration/

SOE HACKED

Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that their ongoing investigation of illegal intrusions into Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE, the company) systems revealed yesterday morning (May 2, Tokyo time) that hackers may have stolen SOE customer information on April 16th and 17th, 2011 (PDT). SOE is based in San Diego, California, U.S.A.

This information, which was discovered by engineers and security consultants reviewing SOE systems, showed that personal information from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts may have been stolen, as well as certain information from an outdated database from 2007. The information from the outdated database that may have been stolen includes approximately 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates (but not credit card security codes), and about 10,700 direct debit records of certain customers in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.

With the current outage of the PlayStation® Network and Qriocity™ services and the ongoing investigation into the recent attacks, SOE had also undertaken an intensive investigation into its system. Upon discovery of this additional information, the company promptly shut down all servers related to SOE services while continuing to review and upgrade all of its online security systems in the face of these unprecedented cyber-attacks.

On May 1, Sony apologized to its customers for the inconvenience caused by its network services outages. The company is working with the FBI and continuing its own full investigation while working to restore all services.

Sony is making this disclosure as quickly as possible after the discovery of the theft, and the company has posted information on its website and will send e-mails to all consumers whose data may have been stolen.

The personal information of the approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts that was illegally obtained, to the extent it had been provided to SOE, is as follows:

* name

* address

* e-mail address

* birthdate

* gender

* phone number

* login name

* hashed password.

In addition to the information above, the 10,700 direct debit records from accounts in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain, include:

* bank account number

* customer name

* account name

* customer address.

SOE will grant customers 30 days of additional time on their subscriptions, in addition to compensating them one day for each day the system is down. It is also in the process of outlining a "make good" plan for its PlayStation®3 MMOs (DC Universe Online and Free Realms). More information will be released this week.

Additionally, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) has been a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games since 1999. Best known for its blockbuster hits and franchises, including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, PlanetSide®, Free Realms®, Clone Wars Adventures™, and DC Universe Online™, SOE creates, develops and provides compelling online entertainment for virtually all platforms, including the PlayStation®3 Computer Entertainment System, Personal Computer, mobile and social networks. SOE is building on its proven legacy and pioneering the future of the interactive entertainment space through creative development and inspired gameplay design for audiences of all ages. To learn more, visit www.soe.com.

For more information and update about the SOE services, please visit www.soe.com/securityupdate.

A word from Kaz Hirai and other Sony Execs...

And now the update - May 1st

SOME PLAYSTATION NETWORK AND QRIOCITY SERVICES TO BE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK

Phased Global Rollout of Services to Begin Regionally; System Security Enhanced to Provide Greater Protection of Personal Information.

Tokyo, May 1, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation®Network and Qriocity™ services, beginning with gaming, music and video services to be turned on. The company also announced both a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation program to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty.

Following a criminal cyber-attack on the company’s data-center located in San Diego, California, U.S.A., SNEI quickly turned off the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged multiple expert information security firms over the course of several days and conducted an extensive audit of the system. Since then, the company has implemented a variety of new security measures to provide greater protection of personal information. SNEI and its third-party experts have conducted extensive tests to verify the security strength of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services. With these measures in place, SCE and SNEI plan to start a phased rollout by region of the services shortly. The initial phase of the rollout will include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Restoration of Online game-play across the PlayStation®3 (PS3) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) systems

• This includes titles requiring online verification and downloaded games

• Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers

• Access to account management and password reset

• Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo

• PlayStation®Home

• Friends List

• Chat Functionality

Working closely with several outside security firms, the company has implemented significant security measures to further detect unauthorized activity and provide consumers with greater protection of their personal information. The company is also creating the position of Chief Information Security Officer, directly reporting to Shinji Hasejima, Chief Information Officer of Sony Corporation, to add a new position of expertise in and accountability for customer data protection and supplement existing information security personnel. The new security measures implemented include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks

• Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption

• Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns

• Implementation of additional firewalls

The company also expedited an already planned move of the system to a new data center in a different location that has been under construction and development for several months. In addition, PS3 will have a forced system software update that will require all registered PlayStation Network users to change their account passwords before being able to sign into the service. As an added layer of security, that password can only be changed on the same PS3 in which that account was activated, or through validated email confirmation, a critical step to help further protect customer data.

The company is conducting a thorough and on-going investigation and working with law enforcement to track down and prosecute those responsible for the illegal intrusion.

“This criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry. These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber-security. We take the security of our consumers’ information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks,” said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. “Our global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation program for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services.”

Complimentary Offering and “Welcome Back” Appreciation Program

While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

The company will also rollout the PlayStation Network and Qriocity “Welcome Back” program, to be offered worldwide, which will be tailored to specific markets to provide our consumers with a selection of service options and premium content as an expression of the company’s appreciation for their patience, support and continued loyalty.

• Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.

• All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.

• Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.

Additional “Welcome Back” entertainment and service offerings will be rolled out over the coming weeks as the company returns the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services to the quality standard users have grown to enjoy and strive to exceed those exceptions.

SNEI will continue to reinforce and verify security for transactions before resuming the PlayStation®Store and other Qriocity operations, scheduled for this month.

For more information about the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services intrusion and restoration, please visit http://blog.us.playstation.com or http://blog.eu.playstation.com/

New FAQ

Q: Are you working with law enforcement on this matter?

A: Yes, we are currently working with law enforcement on this matter as well as a recognized technology security firm to conduct a complete investigation. This malicious attack against our system and against our customers is a criminal act and we are proceeding aggressively to find those responsible.

Q: Was my personal data encrypted?

A: All of the data was protected, and access was restricted both physically and through the perimeter and security of the network. 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.

Q: Was my credit card data taken?

A: 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. Keep in mind, however that your credit card security code (sometimes called a CVC or CSC number) has not been obtained because we never requested it from anyone who has joined the PlayStation Network or Qriocity, and is therefore not stored anywhere in our system.

Q: What steps should I take at this point to help protect my personal data?

A: For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well. To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports.

Q: What if I don’t know which credit card I’ve got attached to my PlayStation Network account?

A: If you’ve added funds to your PlayStation Network wallet in the past, you should have received a confirmation email from “DoNotReply@ac.playstation.net” at the email address associated with your account. This email would have been sent to you immediately after you added the funds, and will contain the first 4 digits and last 4 digits of your credit card number. You can also check your previous credit card statements to determine which card was attached to your PlayStation Network or Qriocity accounts.

Q: When or how can I change my PlayStation Network password?

A: We are working on a new system software update that will require all users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. We will provide more details about the new update shortly.

Q: Have all PlayStation Network and Qriocity users been notified of the situation?

A: In addition to alerting the media and posting information about it on this blog, we have also been sending emails directly to all 77 million registered accounts. It takes a bit of time to send that many emails, and recognize that not every email will still be active, but this process has been underway since yesterday. At this time, the majority of emails have been sent and we anticipate that all registered accounts will have received notifications by April 28th. Consumers may also visit http://www.us.playstation.com/support and http://www.qriocity.com/us/en/ for notices regarding this issue. In addition, we have taken steps to disseminate information regarding this issue to media outlets so that consumers are informed.

Q: What steps is Sony taking to protect my personal data in the future?

A: We’ve taken several immediate steps to add protections for your personal data. First, we temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services and, second, we are enhancing security and strengthening our network infrastructure. Moving forward, we are initiating several measures that will significantly enhance all aspects of PlayStation Network’s security and your personal data, including moving our network infrastructure and data center to a new, more secure location, which is already underway. We will provide additional information on these measures shortly.

Q: Has Sony identified the party or parties responsible for the PlayStation Network hack and subsequent theft of personal information?

A: We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the situation and are working closely with a recognized technology security firm and law enforcement in order to find those responsible for this criminal act no matter where in the world they might be located.

Q: When will the PlayStation Network and Qriocity be back online?

A: Our employees have been working day and night to restore operations as quickly as possible, and we expect to have some services up and running within a week from yesterday. However, we want to be very clear that we will only restore operations when we are confident that the network is secure.

Old FAQ

Q.1 When did you realise the system had been intruded?

We discovered between April 17 and April 19 there was an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network.

Q.2 How did you know that the system was intruded?

We watch for any issues that may be raised with respect to security and monitor for such issues both internally and externally.

Q.3 What is the main reason to this problem? Which parts of the system were vulnerable to the intrusion?

We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the situation. Since this is an overall security related issue, we will not comment further on this case.

Q.4 What action did you take (are you taking)? Is there any possibility of further unauthorized access?

As soon as we learned of this issue, 1) we temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services in order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services, 2) we have also engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened, and 3) quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

Q.5 How many were affected? How many per each region? What is the latest status of PlayStation Network registered account/ operating countries.

Our investigation indicates that all PlayStation Network/ Qriocity accounts may have been affected.

Q.6 Does that mean all users’ information was compromised? Tell us more in details of what personal information leaked.

In terms of possibility, yes. We believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state/province, zip or postal code), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password, login, password security answers, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data may have been obtained, including purchase history and billing address (city, state/province, zip or postal code). If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, it is possible that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may also have been obtained.

Q.7 Have you notified those users?

We are sending out e-mails directly to these users to their e-mail address registered on the PS Network accounts. Also, we have posted web notices, and additional necessary procedures have been followed by each region.

Q.8 Have you received reports or claims that their PSN ID information/ credit card had been used improperly?

Not at this point in time.

Q.9 I want to know if my account has been affected.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. Additionally, if you use the same user name or password for your PlayStation Network or Qriocity service account for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are back on line, we also strongly recommend that you log on to change your password.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, postal mail or other scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking.

Q.10 What should I do to prevent any unauthorized use of my (credit card) personal information?

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, postal mail or other scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. Additionally, if you use the same user name or password for your PlayStation Network or Qriocity service account for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are back on line, we also strongly recommend that you log on to change your password.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports.

Q.11 Since when have PSN/Qriocity become unavailable and in which region?

PSN/Qriocity services have not been available since April 20 (US time) in all regions.

Q.12 How come it is taking so much time to resume the service?

We are taking the investigation seriously. We decided to keep the service down to allow us to conduct a thorough investigation and verify smooth operation of our network services.

Q.13 How serious is this? Have the hackers broken the security on PSN/Qriocity? Are you taking necessary measures to prevent such outage happening in the future?

Since this is an overall security related issue, we will not comment further on this case but we are working to restore and maintain the services, including countermeasures against future intrusions.

Q.14 When will the service resume?

We are taking the investigation seriously. We will keep the service down to allow us to conduct a thorough investigation and verify smooth operation of our network services but are working hard to resume the services as soon as we can be reasonably assured security concerns are addressed.

Q.15 Seems like SOE service was also not available/ suffering outage. Is this true? Is this due to the same reason as the PSN/Qriocity outage?

SOE's service is available although a service interruption due to an external attack did occur. A thorough investigation is ongoing.

Q.16 I want my money back (subscription fee, content) since the PSN/Qriocity was not available.

When the full services are restored and the length of the outage is known, we will assess the correct course of action.

Q.17 There seems to be some games that cannot be played even offline?

Depending on the game titles, but mainly PSN games, some may require access to PSN for trophy sync, security check, etc.

http://faq.en.playstation.com/cgi-bin/scee_gb.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?locale=en_GB&p_faqid=5593

Official email has now gone out, doesn't really contain any new info.

Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer:

We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have:

1) Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services;

2) Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and

3) Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state/province, zip or postal code), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While there is no evidence that credit card data was taken at this time, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, to be on the safe side we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may have been obtained.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security, tax identification or similar number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your account statements and to monitor your credit or similar types of reports.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at www.eu.playstation.com/psnoutage should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Sony Network Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment Teams

Sony Network Entertainment Europe Limited (formerly known as PlayStation Network Europe Limited) is a subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited the data controller for PlayStation Network/Qriocity personal data

Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. While 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 your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your PlayStation Network or Qriocity user name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/26/update-on-playstation-network-and-qriocity/

I'll update this post with any more info/news/announcements.

[ThePixelbarks]

What... The.... Flying.... Fuck.

"oh, your card details "might" be alright."

[SuperBrother]

Blimey, I could do without having my card done again.....................

[Parappa]

Sheeeeeeeet!

[CrispinG]

oh sony, what went so wrong after ps2?

[Roboplegic Wrongcock]

Fucking hell.

[theredstar]

Holy fuck.

[joffocakes]

I put my card details into PSN literally the day before it went down, haha. I hope no one uses my account to buy giant rubber cocks or whatever.

[myoozikk]

[Hawklord]

They're fucked!

[myoozikk]

proper fucked.

[DC Lemon]

Do I really need to change my password for god knows how many other services I use the same one for? I hate things that take effort.

[Uncle Mike]

So this is pretty fucking terrible. First, the hack's inexcusable in this day and age. Then to take a week to tell your cuustomers about it? FFS. Actually quite annoyed about that.

[bradigor]

Do I really need to change my password for god knows how many other services I use the same one for? I hate things that take effort.

That pisses me off. We fucked up, so go sort out everything else please.

[myoozikk]

whoever hacked it is a fucking dick as well.

[Kryptonian]

Jesus, they're slack as fuck. Shouldn't all this info be encrypted or something? I can't remember if the card linked to my account is my old one that was stopped due to fraud or my new one.

I would have preferred to hear this direct from Sony (by email or whatever) rather than Sarge though, no offence.

[Cthulhu Steev]

I wonder when they'll actually bother to inform users by email?

[Zathras]

Do I really need to change my password for god knows how many other services I use the same one for? I hate things that take effort.

Yes. I'm doing it right now. It's a complete pain in the arse.

[Okotta]

I switched bank a couple of weeks ago and haven't updated my PSN profile with my new card details. I'm glad I didn't. This is fucked up.

[Vespa Alex]

And then they have the cheek to warn you to watch out for people trying to obtain information about you by mail or over the phone....

[MalevolentPanda]

SonyLOL.

[Dannon]

I just can't get over how much of a massive fail this is

[Cthulhu Steev]

PS3 Joystiq is saying that 'affected' have been sent an email, anybody receive on yet? Maybe we'll be the lucky ones

[Flub]

That's a point. All this user info should be encrypted up the wazzoo. How has it managed to be stolen so easily and on such a scale? I hope we get some detailed info about this as some point. Currently it's smelling like Sony made every security mistake in the book. Presumably because they thought the console itself was impregnable.

[Dr Seedyman]

So, I have changed all my Internet banking log in. That's the only thing I used the same password for.

Do I need to do anything else?

I also have the same gamertag and password for Xbox live. Do I need to pay moon points to change that too?

[Guest]

SONYGEDDON

[CrispinG]

glad i didn't buy one of these things, it has no games after all

[Flub]

SONYGEDDON

Frankly at this point I doubt it can get much worse for them. Raped console, raped online service, massive loss of user data, possible massive loss of user CC info. As far as GEDDONS go it's a fucking doozy.

[graf]

Does this just affect PS3 users? Or could PSP users who have bought games on the online store thing also be affected?

[The Sarge]

So, I have changed all my Internet banking log in. That's the only thing I used the same password for.

Do I need to do anything else?

I also have the same gamertag and password for Xbox live. Do I need to pay moon points to change that too?

Apart from keeping an eye on your outgoings for the foreseeable, nope...that's about it.

As for Live, changing the password should be more than enough. No need to change your GT.