Jump to navigation
Advertisement

PlayStation website infiltrated by hackers News

PlayStation 3 PC PSP News by Robert Purchese

3 July, 2008

IT firm Sophos is claiming hackers have broken into the US PlayStation website, GamesIndustry.biz reports.

Apparently miscreants have introduced unauthorised code to the SingStar Pop and God of War pages, causing a pop-up box of evil to appear. The box warns that a virus has been detected so frightened Internet users rush out to buy expensive protective software.

"There are millions of videogame lovers around the world, many of whom will visit Sony's PlayStation website regularly to find out more about the latest console games," said Graham Cluley from Sophos, clearly not about to let anyone get away with this.

Sophos further warned that hackers may not stop here, and may make the pages even more malicious by installing code designed to harvest your secrets.

"Most would never expect that surfing to a website like this could potentially infect them with malware. If users do not have sufficient protection in place then they might find that before they know it they have been scared into handing their credit card details over to a bunch of cyber-criminals," said Curley.

"It is essential that all websites, especially when they are high profile like this or receiving a large level of traffic, have been properly hardened to prevent hackers from injecting malicious code on to what should be legitimate webpages."

GamesIndustry.biz fought the law, and the facts won.

Advertisement

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Comments: 1-17 of 17 in total

Poster
Comment Low-scoring comments hidden. Log in to see them!
gabsta69
03/07/08 @ 08:07
#1
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
has this ever happened on the 360? or Wii?
kj66246
03/07/08 @ 08:12
#2
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
You think someone hacked the 2.4 update?*

:-)
____
*Conspiracy Theory
Edited 1 times, most recently on 03/07/08 @ 09:12
craigy [staff]
03/07/08 @ 08:13
#3
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Properlyhardenedlol
bad09
03/07/08 @ 08:13
#4
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@ gabsta69

Not on the websites but I have heard claims Live itself got hacked and some were able to "steal" your Live account, don't know how true it is though with the net being what it is.
spookyzombie
03/07/08 @ 08:15
#5
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Sony are having a bad day.
Psiloc
03/07/08 @ 08:17
#6
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
This company is ALWAYS on the BBC website saying "YOU NEED OUR PROTECTION FROM 1337 H4xx0rz!!!1".

Just go away. Your software can't help people who are stupid enough to click on pop-ups.
Bertie [staff]
03/07/08 @ 08:18
#7
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I do find it funny that he berates the "cyber-criminals" for scaring the public into buying software before he says:

"If users do not have sufficient protection in place then they might find that before they know it they have been scared into handing their credit card details over to a bunch of cyber-criminals."

systems
03/07/08 @ 08:19
#8
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I mentioned this yesterday on the EG forums:
http://www.eurogamer.net/forum_thread_po...

You're fine to go there - just make sure you're running Firefox with the "NoScript" extension.
php_penguin
03/07/08 @ 08:20
#9
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
zomg 360 FTW! loljk

but seriously, how effective are popup ads? I bet not even 1/1000 who recieve the popup will click on it, followed by the usual 5% (average across internet) hit/sale conversion...
penhalion
03/07/08 @ 08:23
#10
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@bad09

Not on the websites but I have heard claims Live itself got hacked and some were able to "steal" your Live account, don't know how true it is though with the net being what it is.

It was utter nonsense. People were giving away their live account details to friends or spoofers and being banned when their so called friends or the spoofers used their accounts wiithout their knowledge. Somehow that got converted into a rumour that live had been hacked.
bad09
03/07/08 @ 08:44
#11
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@ penhalion

Yeah I thought it sounded very suss at the time but that's internet whispers for ya!
DanWhitehead
03/07/08 @ 09:04
#12
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
EUROGAMER: PROPERLY HARDENED.
makeamazing
03/07/08 @ 09:12
#13
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
The question i would be asking is what is Sony's response to this? All very well some AV company trying to get PR.. but is it true and if so why hasnt sony pulled the offending pages.
L42yB
03/07/08 @ 09:48
#14
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@kj66246

I bet it was MS (possibly in conjuction with Ninty) who used their secret 1337 haxxorz to infect Sonys website!

/tin foil hat
DFawkes
03/07/08 @ 09:52
#15
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
So IT firms Sophos are saying this? I've used Sophos software before, and they have no right being all judgmental when their own programs aren't very good. It's always the developers who make the worst, most scaremongering software (Nortons is the worst - "You clicked a button! This will cause instant death, continue? Are you sure? Really? DEATH TO YOU GUARENTEED!" etc) who report loudest.

It is still annoying that hackers are doing this though, but it's never as bad as these companies make out, usually being more irritating than PC-killing.

steviepunk
03/07/08 @ 12:21
#16
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
That would be terrible if users were to associate Sony with malware or rootkits...

RazorObsession
03/07/08 @ 22:59
#17
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
from mmo's, to console online functionality, to webpages. Sony should sort out their online act. or maybe protection from malicious hackers was a last gen feature?

Comments: 1-17 of 17 in total

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Get Games.  Download Great PC Games - Serious Sam HD for only £9.99

X View gallery