Sony's Plan To Tighten Security and Fight Hacktivism 247
mask.of.sanity writes "Sony Entertainment Network is rebuilding its information security posture to defend against hacktivism. It includes a security operations center that serves as a nerve center collating information on everything from staff phone calls, to CCTV, to PlayStation gamers. If it is successful, the counter intelligence-based system will be deployed across the entire company. 'At Sony, we are modifying our programs to deal less with state-sponsored [attacks] and more with socially-motivated hackers. It will be different,' said Chief Security Officer Brett Wahlin."
Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)
Re:*clap* *clap* (Score:5, Informative)
I can't even fully use the products I already have.
The new SEN, replacement for the PSN, has in its user agreementy a clause that says they can and will do anything they like with your user data, including giving it to any third party they feel like. If you have a problem with this you can't use the service.
That's me locked out of network features on the ps3 then.
Re:*clap* *clap* (Score:5, Informative)
Name, address, gaming habits (every game you play, the times you play, how long for), any movies you may have downloaded from them, integrated tv services you've used...
These are just the things I know the box was sending to Sony from my protocol snooping a year or so back.
I'm not sure if the machine sends web history to Sony, or what you've been watching/listening to on the ps3 via UPnP/DLNA, but it wouldn't be beyond their capabilities.
Re:*clap* *clap* (Score:5, Informative)
Just because of how Sony handled this? Please, after this fiasco they'll be the safest company to trust your info to. Sony didn't handle the breach well, nor did it inform customers as it should have, but guess what? NO OTHER COMPANY would have done ANYTHING different. I'll bet there are many that would've tried to deny the whole thing.
I'm socially motivated to never buy anything from Sony again as well, but it has nothing to do with whatever their latest stupid shananigans are. Sony earned a permaban with their rootkit. Remember that?
Re:*clap* *clap* (Score:5, Informative)
And the Vita uses?
Oh that's right, proprietary "vita cards" for games, proprietary "vita memory cards" for storage, and even a non-standard data cable.
Good work!
Sony rootkit (Score:4, Informative)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_rootkit [wikipedia.org]
Never forget, never forgive.
Re:*clap* *clap* (Score:5, Informative)
Apple has no DRM on its OS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS#Digital_rights_management [wikipedia.org]
Otherwise I agree, Apple is less evil than Sony. Not that that is saying much.
Re:*clap* *clap* (Score:5, Informative)
What you have failed to realize is that the "App Store Lock-In", and even the "iOS Development Licensing" are actually there to benefit USERS (by keeping Malware OUT, OUT, OUT).
As well as keeping pornography and political cartoons, software that might compete with Apple, software that might allow people to develop more software in a sandboxed environment, software that might allow people to play old SNES games, etc. OUT OUT OUT. The "this benefits users" argument is nothing more than a cover story; Apple could benefit users without forbidding jailbreaking, without bricking phones that were jailbroken, and without having a policy that forbids lampooning politicians.
Sony's Rootkit and Playstation DRM battles are there to benefit SONY.
So how is that not-locked-down gaming platform working for you? Oh yeah, malware:
https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=windows+malware&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a [google.com]
Apple's iOS DRM serves exactly the same purpose as PS3's DRM: to thwart competition, prevent customers from controlling their computers (which includes phones and gaming systems) and to tap developers' revenue streams.