Sony PlayStation Online Network Breached; Company Cannot Confirm if Consumer Credit Card Info was Stolen (SNE)

Electronics manufacturer Sony

announced Tuesday that the personal information of 70 million subscribers had been compromised on its PlayStation Network. Shares of Sony are down 1.3%, or $0.39, in after-hours trade, to $29.40. Patrick Seybold, senior director of corporate communications for Sony Computer Entertainment America wrote on the company's blog: "Although we are still investigating the details of this incident, we believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state, zip), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password and login, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address … and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. … While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, we cannot rule out the possibility." The network went down last Wednesday. The PlayStation 3 network has been particularly popular with online players around the world. According to a Reuters report, "So far, no hacker group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The rogue group known as Anonymous, which has famously launched attacks on both Gene Simmons and Hustler Magazine, was initially suspected, after it vowed in early April to target Sony following the company's legal action against a hacker who dismantled the PS3's security." Sony Corporation is engaged in the development, design, manufacture, and sale of various kinds of electronic equipment, instruments, and devices for consumer, professional and industrial markets, as well as game consoles and software.