Expert claims Sony knew PSN servers were vulnerable
updated 01:35 pm EDT, Thu May 5, 2011
Sony allegedly used outdated software for PSN
An expert spoke out in a congressional testimony on Wednesday, claiming Sony knowingly used outdated software to secure its PlayStation Network servers. The two-week long PlayStation Network outage was therefore preventable, according to Dr. Gene Spafford of Purdue University. Security experts learned from open web forums that Sony was using old versions of Apache Web server software that lacked an installed firewall and the latest security patches. The issue was mentioned in a forum two to three months before the breach and was frequented and monitored by Sony employees, Spafford said, but didn't name the site.
As a result of its inaction, private information was scraped from more than 100 million user accounts between both PSN and Sony Online Entertainment, the online RPG wing.
Spafford spoke at a hearing called by the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, which Sony declined to attend in favor of simply issuing a statement where it implied strongly that Anonymous was involved, a claim the hacker group has denied. [via Consumerist]
