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Sony: User data, possibly credit card info, taken in PlayStation Network hack

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Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qriocity cloud-based services have been hacked, and the personal data, and perhaps credit card information, of more than 70 million users has been accessed, the company said.

The Japanese consumer electronics titan announced the security breaches Tuesday, after it moved on April 20 to shut down the PlayStation Network, which is used for playing and downloading online video games and movies, and Qriocity, which streams music from the cloud.

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Times Reporter Alex Pham has the details on our sister blog, Company Town:

Sony said it had 77 million accounts as of March 31 for its PlayStation Network, which links users via the Sony PlayStation 3 console to game downloads and online services such as Netflix Instant Watch video streaming service. Not all accounts are active, and it’s possible that one person can have multiple accounts. In a blog post, company spokesman Patrick Seybold said whoever gained access to personal information last week was able to steal the names, addresses, phone numbers, user names, birth dates, email addresses and passwords of registrants. The company acknowledged that it did not know whether credit card information was also stolen. ‘While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility,’ Seybold wrote. ‘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) and expiration date may have been obtained.’ Sony last week shut down its PlayStation Network service, saying the service had been the target of an ‘intrusion,’ but did not release details until Tuesday.

Read Pham’s story, Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qriocity hacked, to see the reaction from lawmakers and industry analysts on the breach of Sony’s online services.

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-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles

twitter.com/nateog

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