Sony the popular electronic giant has been fined for a breach that compromised with the personal information of its customers using PlayStation video-game consoles by Britain’s data watchdog.
April 2011’s cyber attack was a “serious breach” of Britain’s data protection and Sony was fined for £250,000, which is about $300,000 to $400,000 Euros, said Information Commissioner’s Office.
The attack harmed personal information like address, email address, date of birth and account passwords. Card details of customers are also considered to be at major risk.
It was a major breach in the history of cyber attacks.
The prevention of the attack could have been possible if Sony had gone through software updating. The technical development shows that passwords too are not very secure.
ICO deputy commissioner David Smith said, “If you are responsible for so many payment card details and log-in details, then keeping that personal data secure has to be your priority and in this case that just didn’t happen, and when the database was targeted — albeit in a determined criminal attack — the security measures in place were simply not good enough.”
This case is considered to be a very serious one.
Sony has been found majorly responsible for this as it has access to both technical knowledge and the resources that are useful; for keeping information safe.
While the company is intending to appeal against the decision and give explanations that any evidence about the card details are not available and personal data is unlikely to have been used for fraudulent purposes.
“Criminal attacks on electronic networks are a real and growing aspect of 21st century life and Sony continually works to strengthen our systems” said a spokesman at Sony.
