SCEA IT Imposter Gains Access to PSN User Accounts

294w ago - Although SCEA insists that consumers weren't harmed, an IT imposter recently managed to gain access to customer information on the PlayStation Network. The access was immediately disabled and SCEA is conducting an ongoing investigation.

Last week, one of GameDaily BIZ's sources close to Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) informed us that there had recently been a "breach of security" in Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN). Our source indicated that one of SCEA's employees was actually tricked over the phone into giving out this important access to the network.

With our curiosity piqued we contacted SCEA and the company did confirm that there was indeed a problem. Kimberly Otzman, Corporate Communications, said that it really shouldn't be considered a "security breach," however, because a hacker did not physically break into the network.

Otzman explained, "Just to clarify, there has been no hacking or electronic breach to any of SCEA's electronic security systems. An as-yet-unidentified PSN user impersonating an SCEA IT employee apparently called customer service agents in order to gain unauthorized access to two PSN user accounts not belonging to the imposter. The unauthorized accessing of the two accounts was discovered immediately after it took place, the unauthorized access was disabled, and the account-holders were notified."

While it's unfortunate that an SCEA employee could actually be persuaded to give out sensitive customer information, Otzman reassured us that actions were taken before any financial damage could take place, and SCEA is taking further steps to rectify the situation.

"No consumer experienced any financial loss or damage. In response to the incident, SCEA immediately enhanced its customer service protocol, implementing additional security safeguards, and began an intensive investigation of the incident that remains ongoing," she said.