Following a hacking attack, the frustration of the several million Playstation 3 owners might turn to worry. There was immense backlash after the Playstation network was taken down, blame directed at Sony, people thinking they deserve compensation, and the timing of this alongside a one-month free trial of Netflix given out has caused significant upset. However, there is a chance that personal information has been stolen.
It’s widely suspected that the hacking attack may have resulted in user information being leaked, and Sony has yet to confirm the safety of personal data. If you’re a PSN user, then you know just how much information can be taken from someone who has access to your account details. Sony has decided to completely rebuild the service in order to prevent this from happening again, but the amount of time this can take can only be speculated.
If you are a Playstation Network user, you need to recall all of the information you have put on there. If you have ever given Sony your credit card number, you will want to contact your provider and ask them for details on your credit card transactions, and tighten up the security on it. Most providers already flag suspicious transactions, but caution is advised. No credit card provider would deny you access to your transaction details, and they are on your side if you are a victim of fraud.
Remember, it’s only suspected that the information has been stolen, but identity theft and credit card theft is something you can never be too careful about. You can’t play your PS3 games online just now, so don’t say you’ve not got the time to check.
I’m disappointed in Sony for being susceptible to this, but it has already happened. Among all the people making immature comments on how they want to play their games, I’m going to be one of the voices of reason and simply say “Keep an eye on your credit card”. If you think for even a second your credit card is being used by someone else, call the provider and get details on how to cancel it and get a new card.
