So gamers (yes, you know who you are) if you hadn't already experienced or at least heard about the total lockdown of the Playstation Network, check THIS article out. As of about a week ago the online services, like downloading new content and multiplayer functions, have been unavailable. At first the little Sony blurb that popped up when players tried to access the online connection claimed that the Network was "down for maintenance." Well, apparently they are coming clean. Hackers have breached Sony's security systems for the Playstation Network, opening the databases up to the fiends. In short, this means that they now have lists of names, addresses, and even credit card numbers of people who use the online features (which is about 60 million gamers worldwide).
Needless to say this is a big deal; but, who is really at fault here?
Customers surely expect a lot from Sony, given its reputation of providing popular and reliable consoles. So as hackers expose the Achilles heel, how will the players react? According to the article, not too well. Yet, on the other side, are people too trusting towards systems like these? Do we depend too much on other people protecting our information?
Events like these are most unfortunate. And members of the Playstation business should have done better to protect their players' personal information. However, there is really little or nothing they can do. If an experienced hacker wants something, they're going to find a way to get it. Hopefully Playstation gamers will be understanding of the situation, and why the company tried to hide the security breech (millions of people freaking out isn't what anyone wants). Of course, if accounts are drained, the gamers have a right to be upset, and someone will have to pay for these complications.
ReplyDeleteI really like this blog post. As we enter a new era of online purchases, we all must keep in mind that the more information that we "put out there" (credit card #s, other personal information) the more likely people will be able to get that information. I am not advocating NOT buying things online (if you exclude groceries, I think that about 60% of my purchases are online), but we must be aware of what information is out there, and attempt to limit the number of places that have our credit card information on file.
ReplyDeleteI think that this article brings up another great question: who can we trust? Sony is a multi-billion dollar world wide company. If their information can get hacked, is anyone safe? I guess that we will just need to wait it out and hope that our identities still belong to us as the years progress.