The maker of the popular PlayStation gaming console, Sony Entertainment, has announced the company has begun restoring PlayStation Network features after the network was brought down by a sophisticated attack from a group of unidentified hackers.
Sony President, and Group Chief Executive Officer, Kazuo Hirai, made the announcement in a carefully crafted video message published earlier today.
Sony said the first phase of the restoration process was initiated today, and includes the restoration of key features, including online game play, access to third party services like Netflix, and social features including access to your friends list with chat functionality, and PlayStation home.
The company said other features, such as the content purchasing system, will be restored in the coming days.
The PlayStation network will be fully restored by the end of this month, according to the company.
As part of improved security systems, PlayStation 3 users will be forced to upgrade their PlayStation firmware to version 3.61 and to update their PSN password.
Sony said it has implemented a number of classified upgrades with the help of top tech security firms, including additional firewalls, and a new early warning system that detects unexpected changes to the network.
As part of the company’s effort to show its gratitude to loyal users, Sony will be offering users a free “Welcome Back” package that will include free access for thirty days to Music Unlimited by Qriocity and to PlayStation Plus, as well as free anti-identify theft services from Debix Inc. Complete details of the Welcome Back package will be released in the coming days on the official PlayStation website.
The PlayStation Network was brought down by hackers on April 16 (they used Amazon cloud servers), widely believed to be retribution against the company for prosecuting Mr. George Hotz, a programmer that made available files that allowed users to essentially “jail break” their PlayStation to play backed up games.
More than 77-million accounts are registered on both Qriocity and the Sony PlayStation Network, and it remains unclear whether hackers downloaded personal information, including names and credit card information.
Sony said in a statement, “We want to assure our customers that their personal information is being protected with some of the best security technologies available today, so that everyone can feel comfortable enjoying all that PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer.”
Sony is currently jointly working with law enforcement agencies and security firms to identify the hackers.
The FBI is looking to subpoena Amazon to get access to private information about the people who purchased access to the cloud servers that were used in the attack.
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