Is a Sony PS3 Leak Now Leading To Banned Consoles?

"Every Sony PlayStation 3 ID out there was compromised, provoking bans of legit players on the network," Threatpost is reporting, calling it "just the latest in a shocking spike in attacks on unsuspecting gamers."

tlhIngan (Slashdot user #30,335) shares Threatpost's report: Sony reportedly left a folder with every PS3 console ID online unsecured, and it was discovered and reported by a Spanish YouTuber with the handle "The WizWiki" in mid-April... Now, several weeks later, players on PlayStation Network message boards are complaining that they can't sign on and are receiving the error message 8071006. After enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), one player was able to sign back in without issue, according to posts on the PS3 subreddit, which includes a link to instructions on how to opt into 2FA on the PS3.

It appears threat actors have started using the stolen PS3 console IDs for malicious purposes, causing the legitimate players to get banned... Sony has not responded to Threatpost's request for comment or confirmed a connection between the PS3 ID breach and player reports of being locked out of the platform...

Sony is hardly the only gaming company leaking data like a sieve. A report from January found a half a million credentials stolen from the Top 25 gaming companies on caches of breached data for sale in criminal marketplaces. In June, the "Battle of the Galaxy" mobile game leaked 6 million gamer profiles, and attackers are working out how to use gaming platforms like Steam to host or deliver malware.

Re:

[Gravis Zero]

A network ban means you cannot download games that you've already bought or disc game updates.

Re:

[Osgeld]

on a console that got discontinued almost a decade ago

Re:

[Gravis Zero]

Yep. I still use mine and have bought new ones which I've had to reinstall all my software on. That requires downloading all the software again and installing all the updates.

Re:

[tlhIngan]

on a console that got discontinued almost a decade ago

Of which there are plenty of good games for that cannot be played anywhere else. The PS3 emulators out there are rather crude, the PS4 doesn't support PS3 games. A few of them have "remastered" editions on PS4. But some lesser games are stuck.

Oh sure, Sony wants you to play on Playstation Now, where you're paying monthly to stream those games.

So if you want to play a PS3 games, the only option is to play on a real PS3.

About the only console you don't nee

Re:

[Ostracus]

That there's job security in security.

Spce filler

[couchslug]

Consider the editors. They want to kill the place, being so obviously bored of it.

Re:

[vbdasc]

Is this why the editor got the error code wrong? (it was 80710016 rather than 8071006)?

We warned you

[xack]

That online play with out physical back up would end in tears. Retro games in future will be defined as the last generation that could be played offline without risk of banning.

Re:

[Ostracus]

Long as you don't control the servers that's always a risk. Physical backups isn't going to change that.

try the Game of Life -

[swell]

Many gamers seem to be people who have few challenges in life. They live with parents, don't pay mortgage/rent, don't pay for diapers or child care. And so they find challenge in games. There seems to be a human need to face and deal with challenges.

Some gamers seem to be people who do face challenges, but still play games. Perhaps they use games to take their minds off challenges that are too much to deal with.

There is an alternative to commercial games that some people find rewarding. Life. Life, when vie

Re:

[dromgodis]

On the other hand, you only get one go at it. You don't have save-points or backups, and grief players can make your experience miserable.

But worst of all, you have to play it in real time. No pausing or acceleration.

Re:

[Lije Baley]

While I don't disagree with you much, I wonder why you came to this article and spent the time to post this comment. Life beckons to you as well.

Or are you a "saved person" trying to save gamers, one forum post at a time?

Re:

[couchslug]

They won't and as your downvote demostrates, resent their trifling CHILDISH distraction being called out.

Good luck.

[Randseed]

Piles of shit like UbiSoft are proof of this. Buy a game. Wait a couple years later and try to redownload it from something like Steam. Get hit with some "registration" screen that demands some twelve year old email and password. Seriously, they make it a better deal if you just pirate the damned thing and don't have to deal with their DRM bullshit.

Huh ?

[Predathar]

I still use my PS3 a lot so news of this kinda pisses me off...not that it happened, but that I find out about it here on Slashdot instead of from Sony.

they want your phone number

[drinkypoo]

Now Sony can sell those verified phone numbers used for 2FA

Re: they want your phone number

[sethmeisterg]

Except now all 2FA uses phone numbers-- some use TOTP based code generators.

Re: they want your phone number

[sethmeisterg]

Now -> NOT

Re:

[drinkypoo]

TFA said the customer used text 2FA to recover

Now it makes sense!

[sethmeisterg]

I tried logging into my PS today and was told my account was locked. Fortunately, I had 2FA and had to change my password but was ultimately able to login, but I was like WTF?!.

DoS Attack?

[coofercat]

I'm left wondering if creating a real DoS attack is too difficult/expensive for the average hacker crew (or even competitor/state actor), so instead, they just cause such utter mayhem to the service's users that they all get pissed off, call the company/network into question, demand refunds or leave the platform entirely.