PlayStation NotWork

Now that the PlayStation Network is (partially) back up around the world, Sony is beginning to publicly discuss restoration plans with its users. According to the company, the PlayStation Network store will be updating much more frequently in the coming weeks to make up for the releases you likely missed.

From the company's blog:

"To date, three Tuesday publishes were missed, which included items like Under Siege and the MotorStorm Apocalypse demo. 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."

Companies that have released Individual titles that depend on the PSN working were also mentioned in the newly published FAQ, although little hard info on individual titles was revealed.

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PSN access has been restored to the US and many other countries across Europe. One of the remaining countries that has yet to have access to the PSN restored is the country where Sony, itself, is located. Japanese authorities have stopped Sony's attempt to turn the PSN back on in Japan because they believe security measures are "incomplete."

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Sony has announced the PlayStation Network has begun restoration today. The PSN will be restored in a series of phases with phase one restoring access to the PSN, online gaming for the PS3 and PSP, access to Netflix, Hulu, MLB.com and PlayStation Home. The remaining features, such as the ability to make purchases from the PSN Store will return soon. Below is a video of Sony's Executive Deputy President, Kazuo Hirai, making the official announcement.

NEWS: G4's Coverage Of The PSN Outage

Keep reading for details about changes Sony has made as well the changes gamers must make.

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The Sony PlayStation Network outage is turning out to have more twists and turns than Heavy Rain, and now it appears that some of Amazon.com's hardware may have been involved in the attack. Apparently hackers rented a server through the Amazon EC2 service that "provides you with complete control of your computing resources and lets you run on Amazon’s proven computing environment," and then launched the intrusion from those servers.

To be clear, hackers did not gain illegal access to the Amazon service, which also rents server space to companies like Netflix. Instead, they used bogus information to create an account on the service, and then used that server space to launch the network intrusion. It's like renting a house under a fake name next door to a bank, so you can tunnel in. Sources say this most likely means that the FBI will subpoena Amazon to continue the investigation of the PSN attack.

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While Sony itself hasn't said exactly when the PlayStation Network will return, there are some internet reports that suggest the preliminary stages of a PSN-reboot are in the works. According to posters at the NeoGaf message board who claim to have insider info from developers, the The internal PSN developer network is up for some.

UK gaming site Electronic Theater cites sources reporting that developers have access to the PSN's matchmaking service, but that new user sign-ups are still not up.

This is far from a confirmation of course, but I offer it as a tiny ray of hope for PSN users. The last official word from Sony about the PSN came three days ago, when the company posted:

"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."

This morning, Sony posted the same "few more days" sentence in discussing the return of the Sony Entertainment Online's MMOs. 

I'd like to offer my sincere apology and sympathy for PS3 users if this goes on for another weekend!

Source: NeoGaf

With the PlayStation Network down, subscribers to Sony Online Entertainment MMOs haven't been able to get their fix in weeks. To prevent rioting in the streets (or at least lessen the number of angry internet posts) Sony has detailed its plans to make it up to loyal consumers. According to SOE's release, it will "likely be at least a few more days" before the MMOs are up.

Subscribers to Sony MMOs will receive 30 days of game time added to the end of the current billing cycle, as well as have one fre day for every day the system’s been down.

That's not all, though. Subscribers will also be given in-game items, XP boosts and a lot more. There's a game-by-game list under the "Read More" tag.

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Feedback is here, and with it comes a slew of news about Activision, EA, and of course we're talking about this week's biggest game release: Brink. Splash Damage has really tried to turn squad-based gaming into something different, but did they succeed? We all had some time with the game, so tune in to find out what we thought. You might say that this episode takes us right to the ... Brink. 

Adam Sessler hosts the show along with Steve Johnson, myself, and that silent redhead you've seen lurking in the corners, Emily Gordon. And yes, she can speak! Tune in to her inaugural episode and let her know how she did. You can watch the episode below, or check below for some read-along links and the audio-only version of the show!

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Hey, guys... remember the PlayStation Network? That was pretty awesome, wasn't it? I'm not bringing up the once-functioning network to rub internet-salt in the fresh wounds of PS3 users, though. I'm bringing it up to ask a question: Have any of you seen any fraud on your credit cards?

We received an email from a reader who told us that his card have been blocked by Bank of America, and that BoA is issuing new cards to all BoA customers. The second part isn't true, according to Bank of America. The customer service person I spoke to said BoA has no official policy regarding credit cards connected with the PlayStation Network, and no specific advice for PSN users who used a Bank of America card to sign up for the PSN (beyond the blanket: "our fraud prevention should automatically detect any fraudulent activity" and "if you're really worried about security, tell us and we'll issue you a new card"). I placed a call with the company's corporate office, just to make doubly-super-sure, and I'm awaiting a call back.

Either way, I wanted to know if anyone out there has had any actual, real world fallout from your information having been compromised.

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Sony has denied claims that their servers were running outdated software and that they lacked firewalls. The rumors were presented during a Congressional hearing by security expert Dr. Gene Spafford. Sony's senior director, Corporate Communications and Social Media, Patrick Seybold, released a statement denying these reports.

"The previous network for Sony Network Entertainment International and Sony Online Entertainment used servers that were patched and updated recently, and had multiple security measures in place, including firewalls."

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Sony may have prevented another attack on the PSN due to a heads up from CNET. G4TV.com and CNET posted an article last week detailing a possible third attack on Sony's servers overheard by a member of an IRC. Another member of the IRC later posted, "Apparently Sony saw that article because the last server that I could access is offline now...its probbaly (sic) being patched like the other servers. There goes our window."

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According to an article posted on Cnet.com, Sony is considering offering a reward for information leading to the hackers who took down the PlayStation Network. Sony reportedly hasn't made a decision yet about whether they will offer a cash bounty, but the option is on the table. Should Sony offer a reward, it will work with the FBI and other relevant international law enforcement groups.

While the idea of offering money for the capture of the PSN hacker is intriguing, and shows the lengths to which Sony is prepared to go to bring about the end of their network problems, it's not a done deal. The reward is still in discussion stages right now, and hasn't been signed off on by Sony's top execs in Japan, according to Cnet's sources.

My question: Do you think a monetary reward will "work?" Will the nefarious PSN hackers' pals out him for quick cash? And how much cash will it take? Leave the answer in our comment section.

Source: Cnet

An article in the Financial Times has stated that hacker group Anonymous is behind the PlayStation Network being down. The article pins blame on the PSN break-in on "an individual or handful of supporters of" Anonymous' OpSony, Anonymous' since called-off response to the lawsuit between Sony and hacker Geohot. In response to the article, Anonymous has issued a press release that questions the accuracy of FT.com.

According to the Financial Times' source, technical details on breaking into Sony's networks were floating around Anonymous chat rooms shortly prior to the attack, and “the hacker that did this was supporting OpSony’s movements." .

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Howard Stringer, the president of Sony USA, has posted an apology letter on Sony's website, and while the letter doesn't offer any more info on the attacks or Sony's response, it is an interesting read. We already know that Sony is offering PSN gamers compensation for their stolen data, as well as hugely beefing up security for free, but Stringer's letter is the emotional, personal response to the issue. Stringer apologizes to gamers, writing:

"As a company we — and I — apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused by this attack."

Stringer goes on to explain the amount of time that Sony took to notify consumers as to the security breach:

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Sony may be hit by yet another attack this weekend. According to CNET, hackers are planning to attack Sony's website in the next few days. The attack is said to be a response to Sony's handling of the PSN security breach. The plan would be to publicize some or all of the data hackers were able to find on Sony's servers. This would potentially include the names, addresses and credit card numbers of more than 75 million PSN users.

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Sony will offer a free identity theft protection service called "AllClear ID Plus." The service will be available through Debix, Inc, one of the nations "most reputable identity protection firms." The service will be provided for both PSN and Qriocity account holders in the US. The plan will be a free of charge for 12 months. Sony will begin sending out activation emails in the next few days. This offer is limited however, you must redeem your code by June 18. Keep reading to see a list of details on what the program will provide PSN users.

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