A map from PlayStation's blog shows the countries with access to the PSN
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- As Sony (www.sony.com) began the phased restoration Saturday of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, the password reset process crippled the servers temporarily. On Sunday, Sony said the "heavy load of password resets" forced the services to be shut off for 30 minutes to clear up the congestion.
"Who needs hackers to crash server clusters when you've got three-and-a-half weeks of pent up demand channeled by user throngs in the multimillions?" Matt Peckham of Techland asked.
After being down for a month, recovery of the PlayStation Network did not go off without a hitch, but the spiked demand and implementation of several new security enhancements caused Sony minor challenges, especially compared to the rest of the outage.
According to a post on the PlayStation blog, users were required to not only change their passwords, but also update their firmware to v3.61. Sony encouraged users to do this in advance of the system coming back online in anticipation of the heavy traffic:
"We strongly recommend that all PSN account holders with PS3s update their systems to prepare for when PlayStation Network is back online. The release of this update is a critical step as we work to make PlayStation Network significantly more secure."
Sony says the first phase of restored service included restoration of online game-play across PS3 and PSP, playback rental video content, Music Unlimited by Qriocity, access to the third party services like Netflix and Hulu and chat functionality.
According to a press release, Sony has "made considerable enhancements to the data security, including updating and adding advanced security technologies, additional software monitoring and penetration and vulnerability testing, and increased levels of encryption and additional firewalls." Sony is working with security firm Symantec (www.symantec.com) to make these improvements.
“During the past 18 months, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in the volume of cyber attacks, their sophistication and their impact on businesses. Thwarting cyber-crime requires an evolutionary approach to security that is well integrated, reduces risk exposure and improves efficiencies,” Francis deSouza, senior vice president, enterprise security group, Symantec said in a statement. “Today’s cyber-crime attacks are proving to be more covert, more targeted and better organized than those we’ve seen in years past. In working with Sony on the move of their data center, it’s clear they’re implementing measures to reduce security risks moving forward.”
Sony says the restoration of services across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Middle East were first in line, and that the services in Asia "will be announced in due course." All services are expected to be restored by the end of May.
While Sony faced criticism for taking its time getting the network back online, the company defended itself by assuring customers that security was its top priority.
“While we understand the importance of getting our services back online, we did not rush to do so at the expense of extensively and aggressively testing our enhanced security measures. Our consumers’ safety remains our number one priority,” Kazuo Hirai, executive deputy president, Sony Corporation 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.”
Hackers allegedly used Amazon's EC2 service to attack Sony last month, according to a report by Bloomberg.
To read more about the Sony outage, check out the WHIR's Noise Filter feature from last week.
Article Source http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/051611_Sony_Begins_Phased_Restoration_of_PlayStation_Network_Explains_New_Security_Measures permits to repubish here
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