Sony Hires Ex U.S. Department of Homeland Security Director

Users no doubt remember the many hacking attacks that Sony suffered this year, and just how much personal user data was compromised, but, true to its word, the company really is hiring a security specialist.

The thing about today's IT and gaming industry, and much of the rest of our society, is that it is plugged into the web.

Many online accounts and profiles exist on a variety of websites, especially on those where something or other requires payment.

Sony is one of the largest companies where users made online profiles, complete with personal information, even credit card data and the like.

The risks of this became all too apparent earlier this year, when Sony started to suffer hacking attack after hacking attack.

The worst of them happened in April, and the company even had to resort to making official apologies, complete with Japanese customary bowing, at one point.

The PlayStation Network was the main target of hackers, though Sony recently said it was doing much better now.

Nonetheless, users are waiting to see Sony building on its promise to tighten security by hiring special personnel for the job.

It turns out that the company really is serious about this, having now announced that it had gotten Philip R. Reitinger on board as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer.

For those that don't know, Mr. Reitinger served as a high ranking member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Microsoft Corporation, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. Department of Justice.

The post of U.S. National Cyber Security Center director is, no doubt, the most relevant of these, and serves to underscore just what sort of expertise Sony is trying to bring to its arsenal.

What remains is to see how Sony's cyber defenses benefit from his joining and when new security features start to appear.