NEWS: Playstation Network taken offline due to external intrusion. (PSN is back up)

05/15/11 Update: The Playstation Network has been partially restored for all of the U.S. (and Canada) and probably all of Europe (haven't really checked that lol). Currently, Online Multiplayer has been restored, as well as most other services besides the PS Store, so the rewards program hasn't started yet. Now that the PSN is back up, go and change your password and get back to gaming.


On Wednesday, April 20th, Sony had to take the Playstation Network offline due to an external intrusion. It is believed a certain hacker group hacked the PSN and caused numerous outages. It is currently unknown when the PSN will come up, so everyone will have to stick with offline games for the time being.

This also happens to affect websites requiring a PSN log-in (i.e. LBP.me and Playstation.com).

Official Confirmation: http://us.playstation.com/support/answer/?a_id=2185


This is actually the first time something of this magnitude hit the PSN. Obviously, no one is going to be happy, especially with whoever is hacking the network.

They never said it was hacked. It could be because of the new steam function for ps3.

Grr... wondered why I was logged off all the time. I've been playing wipeout and all my records have been taken by someone called PLAYER. The system has me on as Vektrix all the time, so why does it not keep this info when offline?

Why hack PSN?

ok, now i know why i can't log in...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13169518

Found the full story on the BBC website.

I am not a big online gamer, but having read the article I thought, hang on, the weather is sunny and gamers will be staying indoors on purpose?

Wonder if Anonymous is behind it, but I don't see what reason they would have to lie about it and they normally boast when they hack something.

Curious issue.

@Pat, who needs sunlight when you can get all the light you need from the glow of a television

LordRemington wrote:Wonder if Anonymous is behind it, but I don't see what reason they would have to lie about it and they normally boast when they hack something.

Indeed they ain't. I've seen several rage threads about it on /b/ so far and it would be common knowledge by now if it was Anon.

I wonder how much Sony is losing per day because of this...

Not as much as Xbox would if it went offline since it is a subscription free service. It will only really be effecting download only games and content. It may contribute to sales of PS3 and games for a few weeks though.

However, I don't really know. I have only spent £17.99 on PSN, and that was to download WipeOut HD Fury. I have downloaded demos for it though, but they are free. There are a lot of things you CAN pay for on PlayStation Home, but I don't understand why anyone would since it is just mini-games and aesthetics.

New Important Update: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/26/update-on-playstation-network-and-qriocity/

Guys, change your passwords once PSN comes back online

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13192359

Seems that at last, the news networks are broadcasting this stuff, BBC this morning I caught it - apparently they reported it yesterday when SONY announced to the world the extent of the problem, but I am avoiding the news atm because of other events that I care less than nothing about.

Seems PSN is back up or going to be very soon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13251955

EDIT: Ok, Soon, I tried logging in on my laptop and it won't let me (I am not at home, but in Birmingham, right now, so my PS3 is elsewhere)

http://uk.playstation.com/home/news/articles/detail/item369506/PlayStation-Network-Restoration-Update/

Everyone will have to update their system and change their password apparently.

F*** YES!!!!

I nearly died without Motorstorm online.

Good to know they're almost ready to put it back online. Hopefully the security will have increased by a large amount.

Sony is also offering compensation for all PSN members, as said here:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/04/30/press-release-some-playstation-network-and-qriocity-services-to-be-available-this-week/

For the basics, Sony's "Welcome Back" program will include some free PS Store content (differing by region) and 30 of PSN+ for free (for both existing members and non-members, so basically for everyone currently part of PSN). I'm simply surprised they offered compansation at all.

Free stuff is good. May have to boot up the dust bin and see what's online. I Know there is some PS + stuff that's free.

I just want Plants vs. Zombies...

Gah, not up yet. They announce they are bringing it back online, yet give no timescale.

Oh well. Not the end of the world.

A friend of mine said today that Playstation would give away a free game to each user because of this issue. He doesn't know if the user can pick the game, though.

Don't know if this is true, just passing some info along.

Arkanay wrote:A friend of mine said today that Playstation would give away a free game to each user because of this issue. He doesn't know if the user can pick the game, though.

Don't know if this is true, just passing some info along.

I don't really know what free content they will be giving out. My hope is that they give us a choice and a decent budget to work with, though it very well might just be a cheap little game buried deep within the store.

Also, the Store may not be coming back online till later this month. They're doing a multi-phase restoration, and the Playstation Store is sceduled for a later phase. Phase 1 (which comes this week) will restore the online gameplay, PSN log-in, the primary stuff.

We will be getting a month free (everyone) on a music server and for PlayStation Plus - not that I know either. As for a free game, I do not know.

i'm still waiting

They got another intrusion.

Expect a longer wait.

It's all falling into place now.

Descardion wrote:They got another intrusion.

Expect a longer wait.

Stop being silly!

Lum, are you a nintendo hacker?

Sony actually did get hacked a second time, though this wasn't with PSN's server. This time the hackers got into SOE's server. They once again stole data from users on the server, and also placed a little something when they were at that:

Sony Online Entertainment wrote: •We discovered that the intruders had planted a file on one of our Sony Online Entertainment servers named “Anonymous” with the words “We are Legion.”

Source: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/05/04/sonys-response-to-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/

Either Anonymous really is behind it, or someone is framing them. There is no way to really tell.

Surely, they would have had more impact, however, if they had attacked xbox Live? That is a paid prescription service, and therefore would have cost Microsoft a lot more money than hacking the PSN. Also, would have meant that compensation would have been demanded, instead of volunteered. Also, being paid, Microsoft would likely rush a fix in order to ensure they lost a little money as possible.

75,000,000 PSN users, I bet around 40,000,000 don't even have it online. Or, at least, like me have only used PSN once or twice for the Store and only a few times for online gaming. I can still use BBC iPlayer on mine as well as the internet. I have no games that require an internet connection, the only reason I have not been on it much is I have not wanted to play my PS3 games.