Looks like Sony have finally decided that it's time to bring the Playstation Network back online after being
compromised a fortnight ago by external parties. Announced today on the
Sony Europe Blog were plans by the company detailing how the free online network will be bought back up and what steps are being taken to prevent this kind of thing happening again.
Tokyo, May 1, 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation®Network and Qriocity™ services
The initial phase of the roll-out will include, but is not limited to, the following:
• Restoration of Online game-play across the PlayStation®3 (PS3) and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) systems
• This includes titles requiring online verification and downloaded games
• Access to Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers
• Access to account management and password reset
• Access to download un-expired Movie Rentals on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
• PlayStation®Home
• Friends List
• Chat Functionality
The new security measures implemented include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks
• Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption
• Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns
• Implementation of additional firewalls
That's not all though! Given that the Playstation Network is a free service, you would almost expect that beyond those who pay for the benefits of the PSN Plus, there wouldn't be any real compensation for the downtime coming. Turns out, that isn't the case:
• Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.
• All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.
• Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.
Additional “Welcome Back” entertainment and service offerings will be rolled out over the coming weeks as the company returns the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services to the quality standard users have grown to enjoy and strive to exceed those exceptions.
So for the PSN users out there, are the assurances of extra security and some free goodies enough to make you forgive and forget the whole event happened? Or will this whole experience put you off using PSN for anything outside gaming in the future?
Posted 04:31pm 01/5/11
Posted 05:07pm 01/5/11
You say it as though it'll all be blown over when they go online. We still don't know if everyone's credit card details are in the hands of hackers.
Posted 05:07pm 01/5/11
Posted 05:25pm 01/5/11
round2
Posted 05:42pm 01/5/11
Posted 05:57pm 01/5/11
WINNING
Posted 05:58pm 01/5/11
That would show they are serious and sorry.
30 days is an introductory offer not an apology.
Posted 06:38pm 01/5/11
Fixed.
Posted 06:46pm 01/5/11
Posted 06:56pm 01/5/11
also -> Uncharted 3 beta begins July 5, early access for InFamous 2 buyers and Plus subscribers
Posted 07:32pm 01/5/11
Posted 08:35pm 01/5/11
Posted 08:39pm 01/5/11
Posted 08:44pm 01/5/11
Thats pretty gay...
Posted 08:50pm 01/5/11
BAHAHAH to the people who had a rental that expired during the outage.
Also, I pretty much read that as a selling of the premium service, 30 day's FREE omg!.
Hang on, Micro$oft do that too, they call it a trial...
Let us see what they offer with the 'elected PlayStation entertainment content for free download' Will it be good stuff or just some junk that people weren't buying anyway?
Posted 09:13pm 01/5/11
Posted 09:32pm 01/5/11
It's a nice enough gesture by Sony, although I'd just be happy to know they've done absolutely everything possible to prevent it from happening again (and hopefully helped catch the little bastards behind it).
Posted 09:50pm 01/5/11
Posted 09:54pm 01/5/11
Posted 10:52pm 01/5/11
Posted 11:09pm 01/5/11
Posted 01:43am 02/5/11
Posted 09:52am 02/5/11
Posted 10:36am 02/5/11
This is a little bit more than just a network outage though. If a mobile phone company had a network outage, and then gave all the billing details of all their customers to criminals, I think people would have a problem with that, don't you?
Posted 10:53am 02/5/11
CFW offers better incentives then this crap.
Posted 11:54am 02/5/11
If it makes you feel any better, I really hate that Hal Jordan doesn't have white gloves in the Green Lantern movie?
Posted 05:02pm 02/5/11
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/04/trixter
Posted 05:14pm 02/5/11
Stay ?
Sony are the digital version of Hitler and Stalin in my books.
Posted 08:39pm 02/5/11
Do you offer these books for free?
Posted 12:55am 03/5/11
linky from Joystiq
Posted 07:14am 03/5/11
This.
Posted 09:53am 03/5/11
Posted 10:18am 03/5/11
Posted 10:29am 03/5/11
top right, red = no green = yes
Posted 11:58am 03/5/11
backup.zip?
Posted 01:13pm 03/5/11
linkie
Credit card info for 5 countries (America, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Spain) of users from 2007 was stolen.
Offical linky here
SOE Users ... All definately stolen.
So if you played Everquest (1 or 2), Vanguard, Planetside, Matrix Online, Pirates of the Burning Seas, Tanarus, Star Wars Galaxies, DC Universe Online, FreeRealms etc etc etc. There is a strong chance your details are all out there.
Expect phone scams, email scams, even snail mail scams. If your password was weak and its hash in any of those online databases of password hashes then you also are probably going to have various online services tested with that username and password.
In theory if your account has been comprimised they will contact you ... in theory.
Posted 08:56pm 04/5/11
nice work sony saying it will be back "sometime" this week and leave it until the very end of the week, if not push it into the next week...
Posted 09:03pm 04/5/11
Thanks for checking though, I haven't been able to get near my PS3 all week to look.
Posted 09:18pm 04/5/11
F*** YOU SONY YOU DIRTY SLUTS, how long has it been off now? nearly 2/3 weeks?
Posted 08:21pm 06/5/11
check this crazy theory
old mate has a theory that there could be more going down than sony are letting on, like maybe they've lost huge sets of data and they're trying to rebuild the database from alternate sources such as transaction records
or something along those lines
Posted 08:52pm 06/5/11
C'mon Sony! You can do it! Maybe regain a shred of the credibility you had a few weeks ago.
PlayStation Network Down, Sony Says Service Could Be Out Up to Two Days
By Mike Sharkey | Apr 21, 2011
omg two whole days!
Posted 10:49pm 06/5/11
Midday friday at my place so I dun care... they have 1.5 days technically.
Posted 10:57pm 06/5/11
Posted 11:07pm 06/5/11
Yes, but we're not just talking about network outages. These guys have also potentially leaked out my credit card details to whoever's hacked it in the first place. That kind of overshadows me not being able to play some little big planet over online for a couple of weeks....
I'm with the other guys. Giving one month free to PSN+ is a pissweak attempt to make them look generous for providing us with no service for the last fortnight, and for handing out our personal information to some nice hackers.
One can argue that we don't pay for the service, however have you ever seen the price of half of that DLC s*** online there? $20 for 4 skins for LBP? I'm sure they make more than enough money from the service to not need to charge people for it.
Posted 11:40pm 06/5/11
Posted 05:20pm 07/5/11
the thing is when it does come back there will be so much traffic that it will be slow as
Posted 05:21pm 07/5/11
Posted 06:30pm 07/5/11
I heard they gunna give away in game items, but a lot of people are asking for something of more value, game time etc.
Posted 07:36pm 07/5/11
agree.
Also, be a flood of trophies on facebook
Posted 01:44am 08/5/11
last edited by DM at 01:44:06 08/May/11
Posted 11:24am 08/5/11
Posted 11:28am 08/5/11
BOOO f*** you sony, biggest liars in the world.
Just tell everyone you've f***ed up hardcore and need weeks to fix it...
Posted 12:21pm 08/5/11
Its amazing that they could somehow have been passing the PCI Compliance tests.
I work for a small part of a big worldwide company as the s*** we have to go through to maintain PCI compliance is huge. Our servers are scanned by an external company, if we are running old versions of things, we have to fix it up. I dont know how Sony could have gotten away with not doing this.
Posted 07:08pm 08/5/11
Probably paid people, or just didn't give a s***. I feel sorry for their share price at the moment. Was at $19 something, compared to 2 weeks ago where it was at $36 something.
Posted 01:23pm 09/5/11
sigh
Posted 04:52pm 09/5/11
Posted 05:06pm 09/5/11
Posted 06:00pm 09/5/11
Posted 06:22pm 09/5/11
Posted 08:13pm 09/5/11
I lol'd :)
Posted 08:28pm 10/5/11
http://games.on.net/article/12470/UPDATE_Sony_Plans_PSN_Return_for_End_of_May
This is f*****g ridiculous, I have been playing portal 2 on my ps3 this whole time instead of on my lappy ;(
Posted 11:22pm 10/5/11
Posted 11:28pm 10/5/11
Posted 11:22pm 11/5/11