If you’re one of the luck 70+ million people with a PlaSstation Network account you’ll want to sit down for this next bit of news. You already know you haven’t been able to use your PS3 for much lately as the entire PlayStation Network (PSN) was taken down a week ago. And by now you probably have guessed why.

Turns out that not only is the PSN down but that hackers have compromised the entire network. Oh, but here’s the fun part. Turns out that Sony likes to spy on you a lot with your PS3. Hackers are claiming that the PS3 records virtually everything you do on the PS3 including messaging and the types of equipment you have hooked up to the device.

And your credit card numbers, complete with your address and security code? Turns out that Sony may have kept those records intact and in plain text!



Here are some of the fun details:

What did they get?

Here is the data that Sony is sure has been compromised if you have a PlayStation Network Account:

Your name
Your address (city, state, and zip)
Country
E-mail address
Birthday
PSN password and login name

“It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained,” Sony announced. While the company claims that there is “no evidence” that credit card information has been compromised, it won’t rule out the possibility.
[via Arstechnica.com]

So if you are of the paranoid type you might want to keep tabs on this story as it develops. Sony apparently knew of the hack for a few days before acting which is a great detail for the upcoming lawsuits. But if it turns out that Sony is datamining your life away in an illegal fashion, well, that’s just gonna be a fun lawsuit to watch.

At the very least you should change some passwords and probably call in for a new credit card.