There’s only one notable game coming out this week, but it’s a huge one — Rockstar Games’ LA Noire. As with most Rockstar titles, this game has been getting a ton of hype. Will it truly be the unique and stellar game some are making out to be? Or will it just be another good game? More importantly, are you buying it this week?
Along with information on the phased restoration of PlayStation Network, Sony also outlined the steps it has taken to improve PSN’s security. These measures include advanced technical measures and personnel reassignment. Today’s press release stated:
The company has made considerable enhancements to the data security, including updating and adding advanced security technologies, additional software monitoring and penetration and vulnerability testing, and increased levels of encryption and additional firewalls. The company also added a variety of other measures to the network infrastructure including an early-warning system for unusual activity patterns that could signal an attempt to compromise the network.
As an additional measure, Fumiaki Sakai, president of Sony Global Solutions Inc. (SGS), has been appointed acting Chief Information Security Officer of SNEI. In addition to his current role at SGS, Mr. Sakai, in his role at SNEI, will work to further reinforce overall information security across the company’s network infrastructure. Mr. Sakai will lead the recruiting effort in finding a new and permanent CISO for SNEI. As CISO, Mr. Sakai will report to Tim Schaaff, president, SNEI, as well as to Mr. Shinji Hasejima, CIO, Sony Corporation.
I was fine with PSN security before and I’m fine with it now. In my mind, every lock can be picked. While the new and improved PSN is surely more secure than its predecessor, I’m sure there are capable hackers that can take it down. The recent outage was an unusual circumstance that Sony wasn’t prepared for (even though it may or may not have asked for the problem).
To me Sakai’s new position is more notable than any technical enhancements. Having more people dedicated to combat hack attacks means that Sony will be better prepared to deal with “external intrusions” in the future.
How do you feel about Sony’s PSN security improvements? Do you feel better about storing sensitive information on your console? What do you make of Sony appointing a CISO?
Watch Sony Corporation executive deputy president and Sony Computer Entertainment group CEO Kaz Hirai address the rolling restoration of PlayStation Network in the video above. In addition to restoration details, Hirai outlines PSN’s improved security, identity theft concerns, “Welcome Back” compensation, and more.
Check out the clip and share your thoughts on it (please!). Just for kicks, give Kaz’s address a letter grade in the comments section. I’m giving him a B+.
Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has started a “phased restoration” of PlayStation Network. As most of you know, the service has been offline due to an “external intrustion” (i.e. hackers). Here’s a clip from the press release:
Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) announced that Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) will today begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation Network and Qriocity Services. The phased restoration will be on a country by country basis beginning in the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Middle East.
- Sign-in for PlayStation®Network and Qriocity services, including the resetting of passwords
- Restoration of online game-play across PS3 and PSP
- Playback rental video content, if within rental period, of PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service on PS3, PSP and MediaGo
- Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity, for current subscribers, on PS3 and PC
- Access to 3rd party services such as Netflix, Hulu, Vudu and MLB.tv
- ‘Friends’ category on PS3, including Friends List, Chat Functionality, Trophy Comparison, etc
- PlayStation Home
At last, we can all go back to listening to Qriocity and roaming around PlayStation Home!!! *joke* Hopefully the restoration goes smoothly and PlayStation gamers can get back to enjoying their PS3s and PSPs to the fullest!
Please let me know if the “phased restoration” has brought any online functionality back to your PS3 or PSP.
Some people feel that Sony is an innocent victim with its recent PlayStation Network service disruption. Others feel that the company was asking for it. What do you think?
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Microsoft buying Skype for $8.5-billion, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s single life, or pot pies, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Some people feel that Sony is an innocent victim with its recent PlayStation Network service disruption. Others feel that the company was asking for it. What do you think? On one hand, the company is losing millions — some say billions — of dollars restoring PSN and compensating its customers; certainly the company didn’t do anything immoral to warrant the hacker attack. On the other hand, a lot of pundits feel that Sony’s hard-line stance against hackers prompted the attack. To paraphrase Nietzsche, if Sony didn’t act like dicks to hackers then it wouldn’t have gotten dicked by hackers.
I can see both sides, but I haven’t made up my mind about the situation (the PSN situation, not Jersey Shore Situation). Naturally, I want to hear what you think! Is Sony just a victim here? Or was the company asking for it?
Today’s poll is going to require some deep thought (Jack Handy). I want to know which “situation” did more damage, the PlayStation Network outage or the Xbox 360 red ring of death? It’s easy to go with the PSN outage since it’s fresh, but I’d love for you to take a step back and give it some thought. Is a hardware issue for some worse than a service outage for all? Which situation did more damage to the reputation of the respective console manufacturer? Kindly vote and discuss!
[poll id=”115″]
After a few slow weeks, May brings several interesting games to the table. Brink has been getting a lot of buzz — some of my reviewer friends are high on this game and some are meh on it. Virtua Tennis 4 looks to bring the series back to glory. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean serves up the cutest version of Captain Jack Sparrow ever. MX vs. ATV Live should keep motor sports fans happy. The First Templar is flying under the radar, but a few of my friends are digging this adventure game, saying that it nicely blends old and new.
Any of you guys and dolls picking up new games this week?
Sony Computer Entertainment will restore PlayStation Network service this week. Features will be redeployed on a rolling basis. Last week we discussed what Sony would do to make things up to its customers. The company has gotten all official with its make good offer. As part of its “Welcome Back” appreciation program, Sony will give its customers free games, 30 days of PlayStation Plus, 30 days of Qriocity, and complimentary identity protection service. Here’s a clip from the press release:
What do you think of “Welcome Back”? To me it seems like a pretty generous program. Do you think it’s enough? Or do you think Sony should have offered more?
Hackers in “underground” Internet forums have been talking about selling credit card information allegedly stolen during the recent PlayStation Network security attack. Forum chatter is easy to dismiss, but several security experts believe that there might be something there. Here’s a clip from The NY Times:
Kevin Stevens, senior threat researcher at the security firm Trend Micro, said he had seen talk of the database on several hacker forums, including indications that the Sony hackers were hoping to sell the credit card list for upwards of $100,000. Mr. Stevens said one forum member told him the hackers had even offered to sell the data back to Sony but did not receive a response from the company.
“Sony is saying the credit cards were encrypted, but we are hearing that the hackers made it into the main database, which would have given them access to everything, including credit card numbers,” said Mathew Solnik, a security consultant with iSEC Partners who frequents hacker forums to track new hacks and vulnerabilities that could affect his clients. Mr. Solnik said that people on the forums had details about the servers used by Sony, which may indicate that they had direct knowledge of the attack.
I’m not sure about this one. A lot of it seems like fear mongering. I also expect more from The NY Times. Using anonymous forum chatter as a news source is like writing a videogame story based on a NeoGAF thread. Oh wait, that actually happens.
Anyway, what do you guys and dolls make of this? Is it fear mongering? Or are millions of PlayStation Network users at risk?
I totally forgot to link to my Machinima.com review of Tomb Raider Trilogy for PlayStation 3. Please check it out when you get a chance. On the plus side, it offers a lot of gameplay for around $40 along with some developer diaries, PlayStation Home goodies, and an XMB theme. On the downside, the first two games look silly compared to Uncharted and Prince of Persia. Plus, the latest game — which is untouched in this compilation — can be had for $15. Here’s a quote:
Tomb Raider Trilogy offers dozens of hours of gaming, some fan directed bonus content, and really cool developer diaries. If you consider yourself a gaming history connoisseur it represents great value and a fascinating insight into the evolution of action-adventure titles. If you’re only into the latest and greatest then this is a tough sell. The two oldest games in the compilation look dated, despite the HD remastering. In terms of gameplay, the same two games have also been left in the dust by newer titles. Underworld, the newest game in the trilogy can be found for $15 or less. I enjoyed the special content in Tomb Raider Trilogy and had fun taking a stroll down memory lane. However, I can understand that nostalgia has no value to some gamers and they’d be better off buying Tomb Raider: Underworld for less than half the price of Tomb Raider Trilogy.
If you have a moment, please check out my review. If you have two moments, kindly leave a comment over at Machinima. Thanks!!!
