SOE is down! (Not just EQ2)

[Wayena]

Dear valued SOE Customers,

We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily. In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to take the service down effective immediately. We will provide an update later today (Monday).

This morning, SOE brought down ALL websites and ALL games they run. Right now, I'm hoping no one got ahold of everyone's credit card information.

Hmmm, maybe they shouldn't have laid off all those people recently?

[Janthos]

Actually heard that is what the cause of all this has been. Former security people who tried pointing out holes and got ignored. Later fired , they are the ones who hacked the PSN and caused all this to "prove a point" ... no clue how reliable that is , just what I have been hearing everywhere.

[Titia]

Hum, the PSN attack last week was not just to 'prove a point', a large chunck (millions) of accounts were hacked, personal information stolen including credit card numbers and password hashes. SOE network being taken down as well worries me, means the whole Sony network has been compromised at some level...

[Wayena]

Janthos, heard the same, thus the comment.

Titia, supposedly, the two data networks are housed in the same building, but aren't connected at all. What affects one shouldn't affect the other. Unless, of course, they both use the same security and thus are vulnerable to the same attacks.

I just wish they would be a little more forthcoming with some information. At the very least, hourly updates that say "No new info, still working on it, no ETA yet" would be better than silence.

[Wayena]

On one hand, I hope things aren't compromised. It would be a huge PR blow and possibly a bigger financial blow to SOE, and that's not mentioning potentionally MILLIONS of customers having their personal and financial data exposed to who knows who.

On the other, I was hoping to get some good EQ2 time in today and this puts a huge cramp in my plans for the day. Hopefully they can get things pulled together soon.

Many people have been saying that they want double/triple XP, free Station Cash, etc., and while I would be in favor of SOE doing a "Make Good" event for this, I want them to get their security up to snuff first.

[Titia]

I thought they indeed were both separated but the SOE network being breached after the PSN one makes me really wonder. As Sony most likely doesn't own the datacenters it uses and seeing how we sometimes discover unexpected 'configurations' in the one my company outsourced our servers in... I'm simply not at ease.

Interestingly enough, the whole network supporting P99 (EQEmulator) seems to also be completely down as no servers is listed at all (never seen this so far).

[Kelora]

I hate to say it, but with all the crap Sony has dished out lately, then PSN doing down for days, I sort of saw this one coming. I hope none of you that still play SOE games are adversely affected. I've changed my credit card number for other reasons since cancelling my SOE account, but it might be something you all want to think about.

[Wayena]

Oh, this is great...

As previously announced, we have been conducting an ongoing, thorough investigation stemming from the cyber attack in April and promised to notify you should there be any changes to the situation.

A press release was issued today outlining these details. We will promptly send a customer service notification via email to all of our impacted account holders whose customer data may have been stolen as a result of an illegal intrusion on our systems. This information was discovered less than 24 hours ago and in response, we took down our services until we could verify their security.

SOE is committed to delivering secure, stable and entertaining games for players of all ages and we're working around the clock to ensure this situation is resolved as quickly as possible. We deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your continued patience and feedback.

Sincerely,
Sony Online Entertainment

CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTIFICATION
May 2, 2011


Dear Valued Sony Online Entertainment Customer:
Our ongoing investigation of illegal intrusions into Sony Online Entertainment systems has discovered that hackers may have obtained personal customer information from SOE systems.  We are today advising you that the personal information you provided us in connection with your SOE account may have been stolen in a cyber-attack.   Stolen information includes, to the extent you provided it to us, the following: name, address (city, state, zip, country), email address, gender, birthdate, phone number, login name and hashed password.

Customers outside the United States should be advised that we further discovered evidence that information from an outdated database from 2007 containing approximately 12,700 non-US customer credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates (but not credit card security codes) and about 10,700 direct debit records listing bank account numbers of certain customers in Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Spain may have also been obtained. We will be notifying each of those customers promptly.

There is no evidence that our main credit card database was compromised. It is in a completely separate and secured environment.

We had previously believed that SOE customer data had not been obtained in the cyber-attacks on the company, but on May 1st we concluded that SOE account information may have been stolen and we are notifying you as soon as possible.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the attack and as a result, we have:

1) Temporarily turned off all SOE game services;

2) Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and

3) Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When SOE's services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your Station or SOE game account name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it:

U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free (877) 322-8228.

We have also provided names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus below. At no charge, U.S. residents can have these credit bureaus place a "fraud alert" on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name. This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below.

Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft. Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone (877) 566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: (888) 743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.

We are committed to helping our customers protect their personal data and we will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in regions in which such programs are commonly utilized.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at 1 (866) 436-6698 should you have any additional questions.
Sincerely,

Sony Online Entertainment LLC

[Wayena]

And the press release that came out today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES
THEFT OF DATA FROM ITS SYSTEMS

Breach Believed to Stem From Initial Criminal Hack of SOE

Tokyo, May 3, 2011 - Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that their ongoing investigation of illegal intrusions into Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE, the company) systems revealed yesterday morning (May 2, Tokyo time) that hackers may have stolen SOE customer information on April 16th and 17th, 2011 (PDT).  SOE is based in San Diego, California, U.S.A.

This information, which was discovered by engineers and security consultants reviewing SOE systems, showed that personal information from approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts may have been stolen, as well as certain information from an outdated database from 2007.  The information from the outdated database that may have been stolen includes approximately 12,700 non-U.S. credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates (but not credit card security codes), and about 10,700 direct debit records of certain customers in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain.

With the current outage of the PlayStation® Network and Qriocity™ services and the ongoing investigation into the recent attacks, SOE had also undertaken an intensive investigation into its system. Upon discovery of this additional information, the company promptly shut down all servers related to SOE services while continuing to review and upgrade all of its online security systems in the face of these unprecedented cyber-attacks. 

On May 1, Sony apologized to its customers for the inconvenience caused by its network services outages.  The company is working with the FBI and continuing its own full investigation while working to restore all services.

Sony is making this disclosure as quickly as possible after the discovery of the theft, and the company has posted information on its website and will send e-mails to all consumers whose data may have been stolen.

The personal information of the approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts that was illegally obtained, to the extent it had been provided to SOE, is as follows:
name
address
e-mail address
birthdate
gender
phone number
login name
hashed password.

In addition to the information above, the 10,700 direct debit records from accounts in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain, include:
bank account number
customer name
account name
customer address.

SOE will grant customers 30 days of additional time on their subscriptions, in addition to compensating them one day for each day the system is down. It is also in the process of outlining a "make good" plan for its PlayStation®3 MMOs (DC Universe Online and Free Realms). More information will be released this week.

Additionally, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) has been a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games since 1999.  Best known for its blockbuster hits and franchises, including EverQuest®, EverQuest® II, Champions of Norrath®, PlanetSide®, Free Realms®, Clone Wars Adventures™, and DC Universe Online™, SOE creates, develops and provides compelling online entertainment for virtually all platforms, including the PlayStation®3 Computer Entertainment System, Personal Computer, mobile and social networks.  SOE is building on its proven legacy and pioneering the future of the interactive entertainment space through creative development and inspired gameplay design for audiences of all ages.  To learn more, visit www.soe.com.

For more information and update about the SOE services, please visit www.soe.com/securityupdate.

About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $78 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/

About Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Recognized as the global leader and company responsible for the progression of consumer-based computer entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) manufactures, distributes and markets the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) handheld entertainment system and the PlayStation®3 (PS3®) system. PlayStation has revolutionized home entertainment by introducing advanced 3D graphic processing, and PlayStation 2 further enhances the PlayStation legacy as the core of home networked entertainment. PSP is a handheld entertainment system that allows users to enjoy 3D games, with high-quality full-motion video, and high-fidelity stereo audio. PS3 is an advanced computer system, incorporating the state-of-the-art Cell processor with super computer like power. SCEI, along with its subsidiary divisions Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. develops, publishes, markets and distributes software, and manages the third party licensing programs for these platforms in the respective markets worldwide. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SCEI is an independent business unit of the Sony Group.

[Jasyn]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  Thanks for the heads up, Way.  I will be keeping an interested eye on any updates.  This makes me a little grumpy. 

[Kelora]

I got one of those e-mails as well, but Gmail filtered it to spam since it was from Inoyvox.com or something. The one with all the credit bureau information. The links are clones of what they should be so don't go using them to check your credit info.

[Anaris]

Apparently most of the affected SOE accounts are overseas and had expired CC info, but still, you should keep an eye on your card statements to be safe.  The last press conference covered in Yahoo suggested about 25 million PSN and SOE accounts were compromised.

[Wayena]

I got one of those e-mails as well, but Gmail filtered it to spam since it was from Inoyvox.com or something. The one with all the credit bureau information. The links are clones of what they should be so don't go using them to check your credit info.

Founded in 1998, Innovyx specializes in providing one-to-one integrated digital marketing solutions to advertising and marketing agencies and global 2000 enterprises. These solutions enable business professionals to create, deliver and analyze direct marketing campaigns and customer communications programs.

Innovyx provides a complete range of digital marketing solutions, including subscriber acquisition; deliverability services; response management; program data hosting and analytics; and permission management. Its proprietary digital marketing platform, Dialogue 1to1™, enables extensive testing and optimized delivery of richly customized campaigns using a wide range of content formats, including HTML and rich media.

Specialties

Email Marketing, Email Service Provider, Email Strategy, Email Analytics

Found here: http://www.linkedin.com/company/innovyx
----------------------------------------------

My guess is SOE is using them to deliver the "ALL YOUR BASE IZ STOLUN!! OMG!!" emails to the subscriber base while they have all their websites and stuff down.

[Kelora]

I guess it is legit then. Deleted mine without looking at it too closely. If Gmail says it's phishing it all the links are blocked, and I tend to trust Gmail to know the difference.

[Wayena]

Well, I'm not sure what to believe about anything at this point. EQ2wire.com says they are phishing emails, even though the site they point you to is one that has done business with Sony before. 

I never clicked on any of the links. It's still in my inbox folder, having arrived in my Spam folder initially, but I've had good emails end up there before.

<sighs>

Oh, least I forget, the newest update from SOE, courtesy of Facebook.

SOE
We're working as hard as we can to get the servers up as soon as possible, but have no ETA at this time.

[Janthos]

Not watching my CC statement that closely , if something does happen on it SOE will have an interesting time ... seeing as my account had already been canceled. So anything popping up on mine , SOE can have a fun time paying off

[Lyrima]

Hrm.

My account is canceled. And I have received nothing in email.

Here's hoping I am in the clear.

Keeping an eye on this and I really really appreciate your posting all the information Wayena. --hugs--

[Jasyn]

Got the email this morning.  Exact copy of the press release Wayena posted (with the exception of the embedded links as Kelora noted) and which has been posted on the SOE page you are redirected to when trying to visit any SOE site.  SOE also put up this security update, which addresses Innovyx.  I'm not worried about this particular email being a phishing risk.  And since I'm not an overseas customer, I'm not particularly concerned about my CC info until I'm informed otherwise.  Further, out of the nearly 13,000 CC numbers SOE has confirmed stolen from their databases, only 900 were reportedly active.

I'd expect everyone should be seeing the aforementioned email.  They have a responsibility to ensure they've done everything possible to communicate this issue.  I don't expect everyone to be seeing it at the same time, though.  I'm guessing they are being delivered in batches--24 million accounts is a lot of accounts requiring an email notification.

SECURITY UPDATE

As previously announced, we have been conducting an ongoing, thorough investigation stemming from the cyber attack in April and promised to notify you should there be any changes to the situation.

A press release was issued May 2, 2011 outlining these details. We are sending customer service notifications via email to all of our impacted account holders whose customer data may have been stolen as a result of an illegal intrusion on our systems. These emails will be sent by Innovyx, our third party email distributor, and will contain either 'soe.innovyx.net' or 'soe.sony.com' in the sender field.

SOE is committed to delivering secure, stable and entertaining games for players of all ages and we're working around the clock to ensure this situation is resolved as quickly as possible. We deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused and appreciate your continued patience and feedback.

Sincerely,
Sony Online Entertainment

[Wayena]

So the email was legit, huh.  So hard to tell now-a-days.

Anyway, newest Facebook post:

SOE
Hey folks, in response to many inquiries, we wanted to reassure you that all of your characters and items are safe and awaiting your return. We continue to work on the issues as fast as we can, but unfortunately the servers will not come up today. Thank you for your continued patience; we expect to be back up very soon.

[Wayena]

From MSNBC.com:

Sony has hired outside investigators to help clean its networks and catch the people behind a massive breach that exposed the personal data of more than 100 million video game users.

The Japanese electronics giant has retained a team from privately held Data Forte that is led by a former special agent with the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service to work alongside the FBI agents, who are also probing the matter.

Sony said on Tuesday that it has also brought on cyber-security detectives from Guidance Software and consultants from Robert Half International Inc.'s subsidiary Protiviti to help with the clean-up.

A Toronto law firm on Tuesday launched a C$1 billion ($1.05 billion) proposed class-action suit against Sony for breach of privacy, naming a 21-year-old PlayStation user from Mississauga, Ontario, as lead plaintiff. The damages would cover the cost of credit monitoring services and fraud insurance for two years, the firm, McPhadden Samac Tuovi LLP, said in a statement.