Sony Offers "Sincerest Apologies" for PSN Attack

[darthricardo]

Oh Sony, it's okay. I still love you.

 

[wammnebu]

i know that the losing face thing means they probably really are, and i do feel bad for their misfortune.

but when i read the headline i couldn't help think of this

man is this a really crappy year to be japan

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

"Sorry someone else hacked us."

"HURR DURR NOT GOOD ENOUGH I HATE YOU!"

 

[mjc0961]

Say what you like about this whole incident, but the guys bowed. They stood up in a press conference, and they bowed. Would this happen anywhere else, in any other country, and all you'd get is some jackass being paid to say: "We're really, really sorry. Like, really sorry."

Right on, Sony. There was a fuck up and you apologised like true human beings. My respect for you is now +5.

Yeah, it's nice to see that Sony Japan is made up of some decent human beings.

I haven't heard an apology from that asswipe Jack Tretton that we're stuck with in America yet, though. If he says anything, it'll probably be some condescending nonsense about how self-respecting adults don't get upset at the possibility of having their identity stolen. And then I'll throw my PS3 off a cliff and never buy a Sony product again unless I happen to move to Japan.

But still though, they are still changing their story every day. Now they claim there was no proof our data got stolen, even though they previous confirmed that it all was stolen. Make up your damn minds, Sony. This is ridiculous. Can we get a statement from the FBI or Homeland Security? Maybe they can keep their story straight.

Great PR move, honestly. And a hard one for a lot of hard-working folks to make. The technicians know it's not their fault, and they know this is making them look bad... but the company at large knows they can't convince the irrational public of this, because the hackers don't have any faces to hate (yet).

So they throw themselves under the bus, and offer an unqualified apology accepting the "blame," just to get things back on track. Swallowing the pride and getting down to business. Kudos to Sony. I don't own any Sony consoles or products, but this gives me some real respect for them.

I just wish they didn't have to do this. It'd be nice if they could just say, "Look. We got hacked. It's the hackers' fault. We're going to try to fix it going forward, but quit blaming us. Seriously, it's like blaming a guy whose house got robbed because he happened to be borrowing your lawnmower at the time."

They didn't encrypt our user data. They said as much in an earlier statement. Thus if you think they are blame free, you are nuts. They obviously didn't take as many measures as they could have to secure everyone's information, and thus they do share in the blame. It is somewhat their fault. Yes, everyone can be hacked and have digital information stole from them. But no, that doesn't mean you just say "fuck it, why bother with security?" and don't bother trying to make it difficult for intruders. Not encrypting that data was a real bonehead move and absolutely means they deserve their share of the blame in this incident.

 

[deserteagleeye]

All I'm thinking right now is Sony giving us a "tax refund" for our patience. Something like one free PSN game, or a redeem code! but then again I am selfish.

 

[rsvp42]

I feel like people getting so bent out of shape here are naive. Sony's not going to bend over backwards and give everyone a Porsche and handjob to make up for this. They bowed, apologized, and they're giving people some free stuff to make up for it and encourage them to stay. What else is a company supposed to do? Most people with half a brain have already changed their cards and passwords and the vast majority probably won't have any problems, so they're not going to give checks to people who haven't even lost anything but a little peace of mind.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I think the apology would be more widely accepted if it was backed up by a financial token.

And a promise it wouldn't happen again.

*cough* Unsecured network broken by a supernode hack *cough*

 

[Echo136]

You make it sound as if a "my bad" is all they're doing in response.

Well that's pretty much all they are doing. What else are they doing? Giving out a free month of premium PSN? Wow, they were responsible for millions of customers' personal information and possibly credit card info being stolen and they are trying to get off the hook by throwing em 15 dollars and a staged apology.

Oh, and they are upgrading the safeguards for PSN. Well gee that's kinda shutting the barn door after the horse is out don't ya think? That improved security should have been there in the first place.

None of this changes the fact that millions of people trusted them to keep their personal information secure and they failed to keep even a single one safe. To make matters worse they sat on this fact for a week before telling people their information was compromised.

They SHOULD have been up front with people from the beginning and not hide for a week. They SHOULD have had these improved security measures in place from the beginning. They SHOULD have done a lot of things differently but they didn't and sending three executives out to pretend to be sorry is way too little too late.

You do realize how much money they stand to lose from giving away a free month of PS+ to potentially 77 million PSN users right? This isnt like giving a dime to a homeless person because thats all you had in your pocket.

And as for the apology. What do you expect them to do? Whats done is done. All they can do is apologize and offer reparations. Do you expect them to go to the house of each individual PSN user and grovel at their feet? Be reasonable.

 

[mjc0961]

What else is a company supposed to do?

Keep their damn story straight. I'm tired of hearing a brand new version of events from Sony every day.

 

[Lightslei]

It's kind of sad how materialistic the Western culture has become while they seem to lack emotions now such as pride, empathy. If all you care about is materialistic possessions I can't respect you :/.

 

[mjc0961]

You do realize how much money they stand to lose from giving away a free month of PS+ to potentially 77 million PSN users right?

You do realize that they stand to GAIN money from giving away PS+, right? Maybe you didn't know, but anything PS+ gives you for free stops working if you don't stay subscribed to the program. So what they do is give some awesome games away on PS+ during that month, and then they flip the switch on those free games off so nobody can play them anymore unless they give Sony $50 for more PS+ or buy the games separately. Either way, Sony gets more sales.

 

[Echo136]

You do realize how much money they stand to lose from giving away a free month of PS+ to potentially 77 million PSN users right?

You do realize that they stand to GAIN money from giving away PS+, right? Maybe you didn't know, but anything PS+ gives you for free stops working if you don't stay subscribed to the program. So what they do is give some awesome games away on PS+ during that month, and then they flip the switch on those free games off so nobody can play them anymore unless they give Sony $50 for more PS+ or buy the games separately. Either way, Sony gets more sales.

Oh yes, I know all this already. But normally you have to pay a monthly fee for such a bullshit priveledge. A free game is a free game is a free game. Not everyone is going to go on a buying spree.

 

[sir.rutthed]

I really wanna know who this hacker/these hackers is/are. Not because I need a face to channel my nerd rage, just because it'd be interesting to see what one of the greatest computer minds of this generation looks like. Besides, the guy's obviously got skill. I can't imagine him doing a lot of time before he starts working for the FBI or something.

"sincerest apologies".... That's it?

Do you understand the Asian concept of "losing face?" It isn't much like the Western concept of an apology -- one that's usually insincere and don't mean much of anything.

That's all well and good, but us westerners don't give a damn about saying sorry and bowing. That's why there's also the free stuff and upgraded membership, I'd imagine.

Which suggests that perhaps Westerns would be well-advised to learn something from the Asian cultures and, perhaps, realize that the things we can touch are not the only things with value.

Or it suggests that Easterners could stand to learn something from us that saying sorry and doing a toe touch isn't enough to make up for such an epic screw up. Neither culture is "right", this is just the way things are.

You make it sound as if a "my bad" is all they're doing in response.

No, I'm just trying to say it's a good thing that's not all they're doing. You can say sorry and bow all you want, but unless you back it up with some actions to show you really mean it nobody should take it seriously. The best way to gain back face after losing it is to act honorably and show how sorry you are, not just take a bow and get on with your life.

 

[FalloutJack]

Shit happens, and I never lost anything to begin with. We're cool.

 

[Jodah]

Apology accepted. Can we all move on and forget this nonsense now?

 

[Sutter Cane]

This article is in serious need of that picture: http://www.businessinsider.com/sony-exec-bows-deeply-in-apology-for-security-breach-2011-5

Wow... shit just got real.

 

[JDKJ]

What else is a company supposed to do?

Keep their damn story straight. I'm tired of hearing a brand new version of events from Sony every day.

Quit reading the Escapist, then. Half the "versions" of events out there aren't fairly attributable to Sony. They're the invention of the gaming press.

 

[Psychophante]

Apology accepted. Get PSN back up, let me play Portal 2 co-op, and all will be forgiven.

 

[JDKJ]

Say what you like about this whole incident, but the guys bowed. They stood up in a press conference, and they bowed. Would this happen anywhere else, in any other country, and all you'd get is some jackass being paid to say: "We're really, really sorry. Like, really sorry."

Right on, Sony. There was a fuck up and you apologised like true human beings. My respect for you is now +5.

Yeah, it's nice to see that Sony Japan is made up of some decent human beings.

I haven't heard an apology from that asswipe Jack Tretton that we're stuck with in America yet, though. If he says anything, it'll probably be some condescending nonsense about how self-respecting adults don't get upset at the possibility of having their identity stolen. And then I'll throw my PS3 off a cliff and never buy a Sony product again unless I happen to move to Japan.

But still though, they are still changing their story every day. Now they claim there was no proof our data got stolen, even though they previous confirmed that it all was stolen. Make up your damn minds, Sony. This is ridiculous. Can we get a statement from the FBI or Homeland Security? Maybe they can keep their story straight.

Great PR move, honestly. And a hard one for a lot of hard-working folks to make. The technicians know it's not their fault, and they know this is making them look bad... but the company at large knows they can't convince the irrational public of this, because the hackers don't have any faces to hate (yet).

So they throw themselves under the bus, and offer an unqualified apology accepting the "blame," just to get things back on track. Swallowing the pride and getting down to business. Kudos to Sony. I don't own any Sony consoles or products, but this gives me some real respect for them.

I just wish they didn't have to do this. It'd be nice if they could just say, "Look. We got hacked. It's the hackers' fault. We're going to try to fix it going forward, but quit blaming us. Seriously, it's like blaming a guy whose house got robbed because he happened to be borrowing your lawnmower at the time."

They didn't encrypt our user data. They said as much in an earlier statement. Thus if you think they are blame free, you are nuts. They obviously didn't take as many measures as they could have to secure everyone's information, and thus they do share in the blame. It is somewhat their fault. Yes, everyone can be hacked and have digital information stole from them. But no, that doesn't mean you just say "fuck it, why bother with security?" and don't bother trying to make it difficult for intruders. Not encrypting that data was a real bonehead move and absolutely means they deserve their share of the blame in this incident.

Do you realize that even if the personal data was encrypted, that alone would not have made it impossible for a cyber-thief to steal it? And that there is nothing you can do to make it impossible for a determined cyber-thief to steal your data? The best you'll ever do is to make yourself a less attractive victim and hope that they move on to easier pickings, but that's the best you can do.

 

[kajinking]

So Sony decided to say sorry? Why do I see Kevin Butler doing this?

Was wondering when this was going to be brought up