Sony PlayStation Network Won't Be Back Online For Weeks

Source: Huffington Post

05/ 9/11 10:17 AM ET

Waiting for the PlayStation Network to go back online? You'll have to wait some more.

Sony says it will not relaunch the PlayStation Network until May 31, according to Bloomberg, despite earlier promises to have the network back up by this Monday.

"When we held the press conference in Japan last week, based on what we knew, we expected to have the services online within a week," the company said in a press release. "We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers."

Sony's PlayStation Network was breached by hackers, exposing over 100 million accounts. According to All Things Digital, the company is considering offering a bounty for information to help find the culprits.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/09/sony-playstation-network-back-online-_n_859345.html

This is ridiculous.

I'm convinced She hacked this network on behalf of many PS Widows and Orphans. Praise God!

grrr :nuke:

this year.

Sony Corp said Chairman Howard Stringer earned a 410 million yen ($4.5 million) salary for FY-2009.

Since the announcement of the data breach, Sony has lost 8% of its total value
$30.14 down to $28.06... equating to a drop of $2.08 Billion.

Now, they announce a bounty to find the culprits of the data breach...
Pat each other on the back (if they find someone else to blame, other than themselves)...
Live another day to screw over their customers...
Collect a fat wad of cash for a job well done.

Simply, Fucking Appalling!

I'm perfectly fine with criticizing corporate greed and all of that fun stuff. But you have to make sure you maintain credibility while doing so. From a purely technical perspective, none of these execs have anything to do with designing software and network systems or writing code that communicates with remote databases across the internet. None of these execs make any decisions on the best way to house credit card data for repeat transactions. These are business people, not software engineers. Software and network engineers that work for Sony made these decisions. And at some point, a decision was made that left open a path to a security hole. It might not have even been a known security hole at the time. Hackers find these things after the system is in place, not before.

Of course Sony owes something to anyone that might have had credit card data stolen and I imagine they will have to deal with that in the future, once it has been determined what has been stolen, maybe even who stole it and what the consequences have ended up being, none of which is even known yet. But out of all the valid things you can pin on executive big whigs of a massive corporation, this kind of thing is not really one of them.

The Executives are responsible for hiring the management team for developing a product - CORRECTLY.
If they do not understand the product that they are delivering... then they should be fired and replaced with competent leadership.
If they don't understand what they are SUPPOSED to be delivering... how can they determine who should manage the team responsible for developing the product in the first place?

The other argument is.. Executives are useless and overcompensated for the lack of functionality they bring to the table.

I understand how this shit works and I understand how the flaws work when they are discovered and I understand how difficult it is to bullet proof anything. I also understand that top executives rarely have the knowledge it takes to understand details at that level. Their knowledge is big picture stuff and finances and marketing etc. They could do everything 100% right in the areas they are expected to be experts of and they could hire the best names in the industry to design their systems architecture and something like this could still very well happen.

Your problem is, you really have no clue on the subject matter that the issue is really about, so you are making baseless assumptions and using it as an opportunity to point the finger at people you don't like. And I'm telling you that I'm with you on attacking corporate greed, but you shouldn't make such attacks with an uninformed, baseless argument. When you do that, it does nothing but make the whole cause look bad.

Also, take note, I'm saying this as a customer of a Sony online service.

Yes, I understand completely how this shit works.

The fact that they stored unhashed password in database is enough to discredit the entire system.
Credit Card information should be stored how HIPAA defines storing personal health data. Different database through a three-tier structure where no single system has access to all person resources and the related health data. Data can only be accessed for a single resource identifier through a process that records the trace of the security audit. CC data should be request through a service oriented architecture on a per transaction request basis.

Now I ask you to read back over your argument and replace the War in Iraq as the "shit" and GW Bush as the "executive"... Ask yourself, was that decision out of his hands because he really doesn't need to understand all that quirky technical intelligence stuff?

I can read any blog on the topic and pick up on something regarding unhashed passwords. HIPAA compliance and credit card information have nothing to do with one another. Anyone worth their salt in developing would never recommend storing credit information in house AT ALL. There are entire tried and true credit card verification and payment authorization services that can be integrated into any system. These are the same services non-it based companies and even department stores have been using for years. Sony did make a mistake by choosing to keep it in house because it added a whole level of expertise needed that they could have stayed out of while focusing on what they really do which is deliver entertainment and game content. That is a bad decision but many large companies try it.

You just threw a lot of buzz words out there like "service oriented architecture", lol. And you obviously don't understand what a "three tiered structure" is. I'm sure they do have a multi tiered structured. That doesn't in and of itself have shit to do with preventing a security exploit. Thats just a way to logically structure separation of concerns within the various levels of programming code for the user the interface, the internal business logic processing code and the code that accesses the data in the databases and then the database itself.

Trying to compare it to a situation where a President is dealing with war decisions is just the icing on the cake though. Those are such false equivalencies that a reasonable discussion can't even be had comparing them.

You're just mad because Xbox is better.

I also run Microsoft Windows and my wife has an Ipad. I play one sony mmo game from time to time and I also play xbox live games from time to time.

I have absolutely no preference on any product from any of these companies. I like tech toys of all stripes and logos.

If you are talking pure technical ability, the playstation 3 is capable of more power than the X-Box 360 simply because it was made a bit later and has a bit more powerful hardware in it. Both are decent consoles. Neither of them can hold a candle to what my PC can do with games.

Your argument fails.

Right. Amazon, Ebay (PayPal), any of the numerous Wallet systems... None of those hold credit card data!?!?

Verification and Processors are completely different. Those process individual transactions and have nothing to do with associating a profile to payment methods.

BTW, a SOA is the definition of a multi-tiered distributed architecture... and it has Everything to do with avoiding an exploit to this magnitude. You cannot just run a SQL Query and join two tables in a distributed architecture. If you can craft an INNER JOIN together with a pseudo-view from a web service, more power to ya. Or if you can make a service call for 77 million accounts and not throw up red-flags on an IDS or request governor... I'd have to say - poor design!


Yeah, icing on the cake... I guess the POTUS should never be blamed for making poor choices and choosing the wrong people for his cabinet; Just as a CEO doesn't need to understand what his chosen CTO, does or any of the upper management beneath him.
:sarcasm:

Here is a reading list for you to broaden your understanding of the topics you think you know so well:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WT69Av3tL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F-y0b4fkL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516kfPC7NLL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DWW3lpblL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

...are in way over your head.

First off, certain authorization services DO offer associating profiles with payments. I've done this myself using Verisign which will allow you store payment info via their service and allow you to link it back via a verisign ID that is generated when you set someone up for it. You store the Verisign ID that they generated for that customer in your database and use it to reference their collective payment information for future transactions. Verisign will even handle processing repeat monthly payments for you without you having to do anything after a client is setup for it. I've set this up myself more than once. You are full of shit.

And no SOA is not the "definition of a multi-tiered distributed architecture". You are just throwing out buzz words again that you know nothing about. I've developed multi-tiered distributed architectures for sites that don't even take payments from customers because it has nothing to do with the business model. Multi-tiered distributed architecture is a means of separating logical concerns. It has nothing to do with payment verification other than when someone is working in a multi-tiered setup and they have to create some form of e-commerce feature, you will end up putting the difference pieces of code in their appropriate tier, depending on what they do. Multi-tiered architectures are for separating functions into finite places and, if need be, separating different chunks of code onto different physical servers for optimized performance.

"If you can craft an INNER JOIN together with a pseudo-view from a web service, more power to ya."

This is stupidest fucking attempt at pretending you know something I've ever seen. This doesn't even make remotely a lick of sense. INNER JOINS are used to combine related rows from 2 different tables into a result set. Its a common SQL statement. A web service is a fancy way of being able to call a method from a different tier of code and has nothing to do directly with SQL other than it may have code that may or may not communicate with a database, whether it be across 2 different servers or just from 2 different internal projects in a .NET solution. Neither has any direct relationship other than they may both be types of code that you write in order to get data out of a database and into a page or some other type of front end that ends up displaying the data or doing some other type of manipulation with it. Stop making shit up and hoping it sticks. Its not helping you.

The funniest part is, I own that 3rd book. And unlike you, I actually understand the material in it.

Talk about throwing out buzzwords, do you really know what you're talking about?

Exactly how many years experience do you have in the field? Just curious...

I have a bachelors in Computer Information Systems and have been working as a web apps developer since I got out of college. And yes, I absolutely know what I'm talking about. I've worked on different kinds of sites where e-commerce support was required... for ordering products or for paying for membership. I've done a good deal of integrating Verisign and other payment authorization services into these sites. I've done it using php, classic ASP, Cold Fusion (old, old Cold Fusion) and ASP.NET using C#. If I don't know anything else about anything else, I definately know this shit.

But please, by all means, challenge anything I said and attempt to point out how I've incorrectly used a term or incorrectly described a concept. I'm looking forward to such a challenge. I enjoy winning.

At this point, my title is "Senior Developer". I've also been called "Programmer" and "Technical Analyst" (fancy and laughable). Are you trying to suggest that companies don't typically call their code monkeys "Developers"? If thats what you think, I can show you an entire world wide web's worth of job postings that use that term.

she was pointing out that developers are the grunts of most projects. They implement. Don't participate on the design, goals and interoperability of the big picture. But hey, working at a small company for 5 years.. maybe a Team Lead position is a good fit. Whatever.

Every company is different. Despite that. I've definately participated in the design. And I've done requirements gathering. And I've had to actually write up use cases and get into all that kind of project planning stuff. I've had to make big decisions on my own. I've had to be very agile.

Give up while you think you are ahead.

10 years of ASP.Net and C# hardly make you an expert. It makes you a solid developer at the very most; certainly not an architect.

And learn how to fucking read. I said that a SOA would disconnect the related credit data from the profile data.... that is precisely why is doesn't make sense! If they were in the same database they you could perform a simple join between the two tables.

I should have added WCF Fundamentals to your book list...SOA is much more than a way to optimize performance. You hang in there and keep banging out lines of code and try to keep those knuckles from getting rug burned. Someday, if you are lucky, you may actually be able to design a quality system to call your own.

DeVry now offers online courses! http://www.devry.edu/

I need argue with you no further. Its clear that you don't know what you are talking about. I also never said I was an architect. I said I've created architecture. Everything I've done for any recent employment has been under the direction of a senior architect. That doesn't mean I'm not still coming up with a great deal of architecture myself. Everyone on my team has to think for themselves and be able to add new things to the system. We still have to discuss our approach with the architect before its fully implemented but we also still have to come up with the core of it to get the ball rolling. Considering we are all capable of it, there is no reason we should do it any other way. I've also worked past jobs where I was responsible for doing exactly what an architect does without having that actual title, simply because the company didn't want to hire a senior architect. These were smaller to mid size projects mind you, but no difference in concept.

Having said all of that, there are plenty of architects who start out with said position at 10 years experience.

My point exactly... they work at Sony.

And it shows again that you really don't know anything about any of this, otherwise you'd realize that you don't need to currently be 35 or 40 years old to be a systems architect. If you had any real exposure to people in the programming world, you'd just know better.

Keep thinking you are that rock-star with all the answers.

Someday when you become better at what you do for a living, and are exposed to more environments...more seasoned. Only then you will realize that you don't know as much as you thought you did.

Til then, try to comprehend there are people out there that have forgotten more than you know.

I met this guy once that was trying to tell me all the programming languages he knew and he was like "I know C, and C+ and C++ and C triple plus". You are exactly like that guy.

And really you gotta be pretty insecure to imagine that I ever said I was a rock star with all the answers or an elite systems architect. I never said any of those things. But I am competent enough to understand this shit and have in fact done a great deal of it, regardless of my title at the time. I'm not the one with an honesty problem here, you are.

Your posts do sound like you "think" that you're a "rock star" or "elite systems architect."

Just sayin'

I think that we can both agree that you seem to have an anger management problem, though. :D

...or even really attempted to, I'm not too concerned what your opinion is.

Why waste my fucking time?

I don't owe you a resume.
And I'm certainly not about to ever hire you to work under me with an attitude like that.

So, best of luck.

;-)

"The fact that they stored unhashed password in database is enough to discredit the entire system."

Sony originally said passwords were not encrypted, they later clarified that and said they were hashed, so I do not believe your statement is correct.

http://www.vg247.com/2011/05/02/sony-no-truth-in-credit-card-list-sale-passwords-were-hashed/

"Credit Card information should be stored how HIPAA defines storing personal health data. Different database through a three-tier structure where no single system has access to all person resources and the related health data. Data can only be accessed for a single resource identifier through a process that records the trace of the security audit. CC data should be request through a service oriented architecture on a per transaction request basis."

ummm, PSN has nothing to do with HIPPA and is not required to follow their guidelines. They did in fact have all CC info encrypted.

http://www.businessinsider.com/playstation-network-credit-card-info-was-encrypted-sony-confirms-2011-4

Sony's real error and the real reason they are at fault here is because they were using an un-patched version of appache and no firewall... AND WERE AWARE OF IT. douchebags.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6312333/sony-knew-psn-had-no-firewall-installed-expert

Users should change their passwords on other systems using the same account name and password... kinda hints that "if" they were hashed, it was probably a pretty weak algorithm. I mean, it could have been ROT13 for all we know... or ROT26 for extra security! The fact that they didn't state that the passwords were secured first, is suspect.

I didn't say that HIPAA has anything to do with their system... I was using it as a comparison to how their system should be designed.


Absolutely! In 100% agreement.

...thats interesting, because it further proves that you have no clue what you are talking about. The web server software has absolutely nothing to do with the architecture of the code base, which is what you've been pretending to try and rant about. They could run that same code base with the same architecture they are using on a patched version of Apache or on IIS or anything that doesn't have this particular exploit that was patched and this would not have happened. The very fact that you are pretending to agree that this is the problem while you were simultaneously arguing that it was something completely unrelated is pure proof that you are a fraud.

gain access to the system. SQL Injection is another way hackers commonly gain entry.

Or are you just still trying to pick a fight that you cannot win? (hint: it's rhetorical)

And SQL injection is easily protected against and has nothing to do with how many tiers your system has. SQL injection is prevented by following simple best practices like parsing your variables before passing them as parameters to your stored procedures and avoiding dynamic sql altogether or making sure that you do some responsible clean up to any dynamic sql strings before executing them against your database. This is friggin kids stuff. That doesn't sound like what happened with Sony anyway. They had a blatant security hole in their network because some jack ass didn't bother to run an update on their web server software. Which, again, is completely out of the realm of everything you've been running your mouth about. This is like if someone had their photoshop documents stolen off their PC because of a Microsoft Windows security flaw, but you turn around and try to blame it on Adobe Photoshop. Thats the equivalent of your argument.

Yes, you are indeed the C triple plus guy.

...but had they not been storing financial data in house and used a more trusted 3rd party (in my opinion the better way to go about it), then they wouldn't be liable and could have probably avoided any worries over stolen financial data altogether.

256bit

because they want to maximize the number at the end of the spreadsheet.

That's both mind-boggling, and not a little appalling.

/geezer

Glass houses and stones don't mix.

If I've had a hard day at work, I go home and shoot zombies or other such video characters to relive stress. I much rather do that than get upset with my boss, say something I'll regret and end up an Obama admin statistic.

Stting idly is much better for stress.

Seriously, thats some real bigotry you have towards people there, over a recreational activity nonetheless. I'll work a full day, go do some yard work or get some exercise, post shit on DU, play a video game and watch some tv all before bedtime. Whats with all the judgementalism?

:) :) :)

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/44225/Sony-clarifies-six-week-fears

Well... really they don't, they leave it as murky as ever, heh.

Sometimes it's just fun to watch :)

This is not the proper forum for this nonsense.

I'm done... there is no point in trying to argue with a brick.