InfoAnda - Analysis: What's so special about Sony's massive data breach? |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Hollywood actors remain in limbo on strike vote | Entertainment | | 14 January 2009
US intruder said Myanmar's Suu Kyi 'scared' | 21 May 2009
Australia woes stoke global recession fears | 4 March 2009

Israeli police fatally shoot Palestinian | 14 March 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Analysis: What's so special about Sony's massive data breach? |

Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Exclusive: Facebook investors look for exits 9:23am EDT Monster twister leaves ruin in Alabama college town | 1:58pm EDT Tornadoes and storms rip through South, at least 284 dead | 4:35pm EDT Monster twister leaves ruin in Alabama college town 12:26pm EDT Bomb attack in Morocco tourist cafe kills 15 | 3:42pm EDT Discussed 141 Obama sees no magic bullet to push down gas prices 94 White House releases longer Obama birth certificate 66 U.S. sends drones to Libya as battle rages for Misrata Watched Fire ants form rafts to defy floods Tue, Apr 26 2011 Nokia announces layoffs, outsourcing Wed, Apr 27 2011 Alabama tornado damage 11:05pm EDT Analysis: What's so special about Sony's massive data breach? Tweet Share this By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - The hacking of Sony Corp's PlayStation Network has earned a place in the annals of Internet crime. That's partly because of the massive size of the data breach -- information about 77 million customer accounts was... Email Print Related News Sony gamers threaten to leave after hack Wed, Apr 27 2011 Apple denies tracking iPhone customers Wed, Apr 27 2011 Sony may face global legal scrutiny over breach Wed, Apr 27 2011 Furor at Sony after hackers steal Playstation user data Wed, Apr 27 2011 UPDATE 1-Game fans shocked by Sony data hack turn to rivals Wed, Apr 27 2011 Analysis & Opinion The uncanny valley of advertising Tech wrap: Privacy storm strikes Sony, passes Apple Related Topics Technology » Media » A man walks on a floor advertisement for Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 game console at an electronic store in Tokyo April 27, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Yuriko Nakao By Jim Finkle BOSTON | Thu Apr 28, 2011 4:14pm EDT BOSTON (Reuters) - The hacking of Sony Corp's PlayStation Network has earned a place in the annals of Internet crime. That's partly because of the massive size of the data breach -- information about 77 million customer accounts was stolen. It is also because Sony bothered to disclose the attack at all. The bulk of attacks on corporate and governmental computer networks go unreported because victims want to avoid the embarrassment and public scrutiny that come with acknowledging that their systems have been hacked. Companies fear that their stock price might take a hit or that their brand might be damaged after news of an intrusion, said Jerry Dixon, a former government official who was instrumental in setting up the U.S. government's crime-fighting Computer Emergency Readiness Team. "Everybody's network is getting hammered all the time," said Dixon, director of analysis at Team Cymru, a non-profit security research group. Sony shut down the network on April 19 after discovering the breach, one of the biggest online data infiltrations ever. But it was not until Tuesday that the company said the system had been hacked and that users' data could have been stolen. In the United States, several members of Congress seized on the breach, in which hackers stole names, addresses and possibly credit card details. One U.S. law firm filed a lawsuit in California on behalf of consumers. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called on the Justice Department to investigate the matter. The FBI launched an inquiry and urged anybody with information about the attack to contact an agency hotline (+1 858-565-1255). CODE OF SILENCE Experts say that many companies only disclose break-ins when they are required to do so by government regulations that say they must tell customers whose data was compromised. In many cases companies seek to keep the matter quiet by telling individual customers of the problem without issuing a public statement like the one from Sony this week. (bit.ly/kik7DC) The publicity over the break-in has exposed Sony to global legal scrutiny, with officials from Hong Kong to London and Washington looking into the breach. Sony's PlayStation Network, a service that produces an estimated $500 million in annual revenues, provides access to online games, movies and TV shows. Nine out of 10 of PlayStation's users are based in the United States or Europe. Security experts say that companies that are attacked remain silent most of the time. For example, 85 percent of some 200 companies in electricity-producing industries said that their networks had been hacked, according to a survey released this month by security software maker McAfee Inc and the non-profit Center for Strategic and International Studies. Yet utilities rarely disclose such attacks. One in four of those companies in the McAfee/CSIS study reported that they had been victims of extortion campaigns from hackers who had broken into their networks. (tinyurl.com/3vgp5us) In many cases, intrusions go undetected by the victim company, leaving the firm and its customers completely unaware that criminals have access to their sensitive data. "Everybody's data is at risk. We've all got to worry about our personal information, wherever it may be," said Josh Shaul, chief technology officer for Application Security Inc. SPEAR "PHISHING" Sony said it had encrypted all credit card numbers, which would make it extremely difficult for hackers to access that data. But criminals might use other personal information that was not encrypted to launch scams. With birthdates, email addresses and home addresses, hackers can launch spear "phishing" attacks that are targeted at those individuals. Spear phishing refers to attacks that are customized to each individual target. Hackers draft emails that contain enough personal information to persuade the victim to let down their defenses, which can be enough to get them to click on a link that downloads malicious software onto their personal computer. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky. Editing by Kenneth Li and Robert MacMillan) Technology Media Tweet this Share this Link this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Friday, 29 April 2011
Bahrain sentences four to die over police killing |
Suicide bomber kills 8, wounds 17 in Iraq mosque |
Russia jury convicts two of killing lawyer, reporter |
Train derails in Poland after hitting truck, two dead |
Microsoft Windows sales slip, shares slide |
RIM cuts Q1 earnings and revenue forecast |
Lawmakers: extend privacy codes to app makers |
Analysis: What's so special about Sony's massive data breach? |
Cisco offers early retirement as it revamps |
Russian search engine Yandex seeks $1 billion Nasdaq IPO |
'Two and a Half Men' reboot in works, without Sheen |
Muslim Brotherhood backs Syria protests |
Bahrain sentences four to die over police killing |
Morocco says Marrakesh blast a terrorist attack |
China pushes back after U.S. criticism on rights |
Thai soldier dies as ceasefire with Cambodia breached |
U.S. says Gaddafi troops raping, issued Viagra: envoys |
ZTE to sue Huawei for patent infringement over 4G technology |
Smartphone boom lifts phone market in first quarter |
Samsung launches patent counterattack against Apple |
Renren revised IPO filing shows slower user growth |
Samsung sees tough outlook, Q1 hits 2-yr low on TVs |
Verizon Wireless restores high-speed network |
Sony faces global legal action over data theft |
Wait nearly over as British royal wedding dawns |
Steve Carell leaves Office in low-key farewell |
Casey Abrams proves too quirky for American Idol |
Mad Men actress pregnant, father not revealed |
Tribeca festival jury rewards first time directors |
William to wear army uniform for royal wedding |
Bon Jovi to tour while guitarist in rehab |
Pro-Gaddafi forces clash with Tunisian military |
Yemeni protesters decry Saleh transition deal |
Germany arrests three, says faced imminent danger |
Shi'ite worshippers condemn Bahrain death sentences |
Two killed and scores injured in Ugandan riots |
Pope John Paul body exhumed ahead of beatification |
Palestinians invited to sign unity deal next week |
Storm clouds gather for RIM after profit warning |
SEC freezes China Voice assets, cites Ponzi scheme |
Nokia Siemens closes delayed Motorola deal |
Prince William pays tribute to Diana at wedding |
Superman threatens to renounce U.S. citizenship |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01