Sony Grabs Homeland Security Official to Oversee Security

It seems like an eternity ago that every story on this site was about PlayStation Network, but the world has calmed since, and fears over mass fraud never seemed to surface.

Reuters is reporting that Sony's next step is to beef up internal oversight, and has picked up Philip Reitinger, former director of the US National Cyber Security Center at Homeland Security.

Sony recently announced more than three million users have registered PSN accounts since the attack, which started in April. More than 100 million accounts were affected, and by affected, I mean had their passwords exposed. The whole thing also affected Sony's bottom line; Sony reportedly lost more than $170 million during the ordeal.

hax0r.

I'm glad that Klepek is not done with PSN just yet.

I'll be sticking with Sony. If this happens again than I'm out but I think PSN will be more secure than ever. Just like when a school has a shooting. Why move your kids to another school when you know the school that just got hit is going to have beefed up security.

Wow, intense choice of person.

This is like the Jurassic Park company saying they will build bigger fences next time and hired a new game hunter. Sony's complete ineptitude of the situation as a whole has caused them to completely lose my trust.

I don't blame them.

Good.

@Buzzkill said:

This is like the Jurassic Park company saying they will build bigger fences next time and hired a new game hunter. Sony's complete ineptitude of the situation as a whole has caused them to completely lose my trust.

That's uh...the uh.. chaos theory.

"Prior to his nomination, Reitinger was an executive with Microsoft with the title of Chief Trustworthy Infrastructure Strategist, or CTIS"

Traitor. That's a very appropriate old job title though, I bet Sony wish they'd thought of having one of those.

You can't bring that toothpaste with you on the PSN. It could be a bomb that sprays Lulzsec everywhere.

Sony now plans to pat you down and grab your crotch before entering any Sony e-space.

This is the kind of thing that you do before having an attack, in order to prevent it. But I guess... good for them for reinforcing their security.

I forsee Nintendo branded planes crashing into the Tokyo HQ.

Coming Soon: Muslimish-sounding account names subject to automatic ban, all voice communication monitored in real-time by trained professionals for vague suggestions of intent to hack, updated Terms of Service stating that all computers and storage devices on the same network as your PS3 are subject to Sony's examination.

Marcus from the PSP commercials says it best: Step yo game up!

nice save Sony.

Sony got hacked cause their own employees ratted out server holes straight to anon. I fucking watched them do it. Guess which community they belong to? Don't treat hackers like idiots, don't remove features that make sales and don't act like you own people with your IP request bullshit. We all know how bad Sony's business practices are. Have a lesson and a bonus homesec dropout.

Good for you, Sony.

@lhaymehr said:

Sony got hacked cause their own employees ratted out server holes straight to anon. I fucking watched them do it. Guess which community they belong to? Don't treat hackers like idiots, don't remove features that make sales and don't act like you own people with your IP request bullshit. We all know how bad Sony's business practices are. Have a lesson and a bonus homesec dropout.

I doubt OtherOS sold many PS3's. Hell, I never even heard of anyone ever using it and I know a lot of people with PS3's.

@Enigma777 said:

@lhaymehr said:

Sony got hacked cause their own employees ratted out server holes straight to anon. I fucking watched them do it. Guess which community they belong to? Don't treat hackers like idiots, don't remove features that make sales and don't act like you own people with your IP request bullshit. We all know how bad Sony's business practices are. Have a lesson and a bonus homesec dropout.

I doubt OtherOS sold many PS3's. Hell, I never even heard of anyone ever using it and I know a lot of people with PS3's.

I never understood the whole OtherOS complaints. If you want something that runs linux, buy a PC.

So what threat level is PlayStation Network at right now?

Homeland security did such a great job with Wikileaks after all.

Cool now I can my have liberty reduced on PSN! DoHS doesn't do anything else, does it?

Sony now plans to pat you down and grab your crotch before entering any Sony e-space.

In before any creative DoHS jokes.

I suppose they think we're dumb enough to see this as a "step up", huh?

So, Sony has Jack Bauer now!? Well, at least if PSN crashes again it will be back in 24 hours.

Homeland Security eh? That makes me feel GREAT because they are wonderful people and not at all totally evil.

All Ahmeds on PSN better watch out.

@Meatsim said:

So what threat level is PlayStation Network at right now?

midnight

Random PSN users are going to disappear.

What? Good move I guess. That total fuck up motivated me to get rid of my PS3 and get and Xbox...

@FourWude

Sony now plans to pat you down and grab your crotch before entering any Sony e-space.

You just made me buy a PS3

About time...

Homeland Security gets a bad wrap here in the states but I think anything sensitive in the US like defense weapons and vehicles are really secure against hackers and the like. Every country fights that battle every day with another country. The Pentagon website might get hacked and compromised......but the really critical stuff for weapons programs and databases is super secure.

Point is, if Sony wanted to mine some real experience for security, they would benefit greatly from Homeland Security. The United States government, I guarantee, gets attacked more per day then any other nation.

A good move on Sony's part. I mean, they had BETTER step up after that debacle. Sony covers nearly every spectrum of entertainment media, not just games, and those were compromised too.

@mewarmo990 said:

A good move on Sony's part. I mean, they had BETTER step up after that debacle. Sony covers nearly every spectrum of entertainment media, not just games, and those were compromised too.

Except for the fact that Homeland Security fails even their own internal tests.

Nothing is going to make me put my CC details back on a Sony console.  If I ever buy anything from PSN again it will be using pre-paid cards.

Nice to see that they are trying something.

Meh, I lost trust in Sony during the XCP/rootkit-on-a-cd fiasco...although I did get some free meals out of cleaning up a few PCs that were hit by it. Celine Dion fans, what can I say?

good any repeat would be lame

@Enigma777 said:

@lhaymehr said:

Sony got hacked cause their own employees ratted out server holes straight to anon. I fucking watched them do it. Guess which community they belong to? Don't treat hackers like idiots, don't remove features that make sales and don't act like you own people with your IP request bullshit. We all know how bad Sony's business practices are. Have a lesson and a bonus homesec dropout.

I doubt OtherOS sold many PS3's. Hell, I never even heard of anyone ever using it and I know a lot of people with PS3's.

I never understood the whole OtherOS complaints. If you want something that runs linux, buy a PC.

@Enigma777 said:

@lhaymehr said:

Sony got hacked cause their own employees ratted out server holes straight to anon. I fucking watched them do it. Guess which community they belong to? Don't treat hackers like idiots, don't remove features that make sales and don't act like you own people with your IP request bullshit. We all know how bad Sony's business practices are. Have a lesson and a bonus homesec dropout.

I doubt OtherOS sold many PS3's. Hell, I never even heard of anyone ever using it and I know a lot of people with PS3's.

I bought one because of OtherOS and folding at home support. I was originally only going to use it to play games when my xbox broke which was happening every year or so when I bought my PS3.

I was going to buy something on PSN, but then I realised they don't have PayPal and there's no-way I'm giving them my card details (even though I love them).

@AtomicMyth said:

This is why I stick with Microsoft... 100 million accounts?? Really Sony?

Yeah and in the end nothing happened except free games.

DAMN YOU SONY!