As we move into day 11 of the PlayStation Network fiasco, Sony continues to rebuild its beleaguered network while apologizing profusely to users.
The latest update on the PlayStation Blog reassures users that law enforcement and technology security experts are investigating the April 17 breach. It took the company until Wednesday to admit thatuser data had been stolen.
User data is one thing, but credit card data is more serious. In a FAQ, Sony's head of communications Nick Caplin writes (Dell latitude d630 Battery), "The entire credit card table was encrypted and we have no evidence that credit card data was taken," but in the next bullet point:
"While all credit card information stored in our systems is encrypted and there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, out of an abundance of caution we are advising you that your credit card number (excluding security code, sometimes called a CVC or CSC number) and expiration date may have been obtained."
Sony says it has "temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services" while it tightens security on the network. When will the network return? "Within a week from yesterday," Caplin writes. So, PlayStation Network aficionados, you're going to have to find something else to do until May 4.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit was filed against Sony on behalf of a PlayStation Network subscriber in Alabama and all other users affected by the security breach. The suit alleges that Sony's security measures were lax and also asserts that after Sony discovered the break-in, it was slow to notify users so they could take action to protect their credit cards.
Don't expect much to come out of that suit, though, says gaming industry analyst Michael Pachter. He told industry gamers that it's going to be hard to show damages (Acer aspire 5920 Battery) . Pachter told Industry Gamers, "How much does it cost you to have your identity stolen? Especially if you can't prove that it was used for any purpose whatsoever? Pain and suffering? Not appropriate for a class action. So the amount of the settlement would be very small, if anything at all."
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