PlayStation Network Has a Security Breach

Sony has put up a warning on its PlayStation.com front page detailing a security breach that could affect users of the PlayStation Store, the main on-line sales service maintained by Sony and part of the PlayStation Network. The statement says the problem has already been solved and the security breach closed, but at this time independent sources cannot confirm this.

Apparently, the breach is linked to the PC access to the PlayStation Network. "Some users", as Sony says, might have had their passwords released to unknown persons. These assailants were then able to change the passwords of the users and use their account details to purchase whatever they wanted from the PlayStation Store. Apparently, Sony has taken the precaution of not presenting detailed credit card information even to an authorized user of an account and as such there's little to no chance that someone could use credit details obtained from the recent PlayStation Store security breach to execute real world payments. This may come as little consolation to people that will find that they have spent copious amounts of money on the PlayStation Store.

Part of the Sony statement reads: "We have investigated the extent of unauthorized access and possible alteration of passwords that could have occurred before corrective measures were taken, and are directly contacting customers who may have been affected by this incident." If you get a call from Sony, then you've surely spent some money and you don't know that you have. And no, it's not because of last night's drinking games...

Apparently, the easiest way to see if your account has been affected is to simply try and log on into your PSN account. If the sign-in is successful, then you're probably safe.

Sony hasn't released any details regarding the number of users that have been affected by the breach, but they are trying to play down the magnitude of the issue, and there are no leads at the moment as to the identity of those that have taken advantage of the security hole. As more details emerge, we'll bring them to our readers.

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