Monday, May 02, 2011

Sony and Insecurity

Back in August 2007, I wrote this article on the Sony Rootkit V2 and then this clarification in early September, 2007.  So, as you can see, Sony is no newcomer to misappropriating client data and mishandling personal data security.

Then they enforce region encoding on Blu-ray discs to ensure *their* important clients (aka movie studios) are protected from the general public.

Now they have had their entire Playstation Newtork hacked into and its personal data stolen - there's no way to know exactly what is stolen in a successful hack as hackers who know their trade know how to remove evidence of where they have been and what they have taken.  Here's a good article on the security implications of this last Sony indiscretion.

How many more times will Sony breach the trust of its client base before people take a stand?  Do people even know how sensitive the data is that they have stored in networks like the PSN and how easy it is to use this for identity theft?  Somehow, I think this will pass silently in the night like most other serious security breaches have because no-one really understands how bad this sort of thing is.  :(


Regards,

The Outspoken Wookie

1 comment:

Matt Marlor said...

Thanks for the link mate. I agree that Sony have a long history of abuse, but the best way to combat it is certainly to make noise.. and of course not to buy Sony gear. Been a loooong time since I've bought Sony.

I doubt, though, that this one will get swept aside. A portion of 77 million users will be bound to remember, and punish Sony accordingly. The market does have a way of providing backlash - the only problem there is that Sony is massively diversified and has a huge market cap, so it's not going to have as much initial effect as some might like.

But people do remember, and the word of mouth phenomenon can work both ways. If Sony can't fix their game, they will ultimately fail. It'll just take longer.