VOTW: PlayStation Network Attack, Outage

Jesse Ward — Mon, 02 May 2011 16:21:18 +0000

And last but not least, our video of the week (VOTW).

Several weeks ago Sony was hit with a massive network attack on it’s PlayStation Network, which boasts 77 million international users and connects gamers to play against one another as well as chat with each other. The Sony Qriocity service, Sony’s new cloud-based digital entertainment venture which is used to stream audio and video to Sony devices, was also compromised in the attack.

Sony responded to the security breach by turning off its network services until it can further investigate and strengthen the service.

In the meantime, questions remain about data the hackers were able to obtain. Security researchers have seen discussions on online forums indicating that the hackers may have accessed a database that includes customer names, addresses, usernames, passwords and as many as 2.2 million credit card numbers.

Congress sent a letter to Sony last Friday asking for detailed information on the gaming system’s security and privacy, and what it knows about credit card data that might have been stolen.

On the heels of Amazon’s EC2 cloud outage, this high-profile attack further supports the public perception that cloud services are insecure.

Sony PS3 leads the Pack with Connected Consoles

Steve Fravel — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:41:34 +0000

A recent study by The Diffusion Group has determined that roughly one third of households in the United States with broadband service have a video game console connected to the Internet. It is the opinion of some that game consoles are likely the solution of choice for delivery of mainstream over-the-top (OTT) video content.

Of the three primary game consoles sold in the United States, the study determined that the Sony Playstation 3 leads the way in terms of users connecting the consoles to the Internet. Sony is followed closely by Microsoft’s XBox 360, with the Nintendo Wii having Internet connection in over 50% of consumer homes that have chosen that platform.The potential exists for the connected consoles to generate additional revenue for both manufacturers and content developers. Netflix has established relationships with all three manufacturers making it available as an on-demand choice for streaming movies at home.

Developers have also spent time crafting online portals into virtual reality environments. Online access into the gaming market is also a primary driver for staying connected to the Internet.

As a device choice for those subscribers that want to add OTT content and expand their choices, the game console may be an ideal solution for adding Internet and home computer video to the viewing experience.

NTCA's The New Edge » Playstation

VOTW: PlayStation Network Attack, Outage

Sony PS3 leads the Pack with Connected Consoles