UPDATED 11:16 EDT / JULY 07 2011

Far From Game Over: Summer Hackfest Tours Gaming, Social Realms

Hacking is a touchy topic inside and out of tech society. But it comes with certainty that there will always be cases of data exposure, breaches and cyber-attacks. As the hacking feast continues, the casualties like Sony PlayStation Network try to recover from the pitfalls of multiple attacks and a never-ending summer of hacker dominance.

Over 100 million accounts were compromised when Sony PlayStaton Network battled a month-long scramble with hackers. As expected, Sony shuffled its management two months after the hacking incidents that prompted the closure of PlayStation Network. Andrew House, then-European business unit head assumed leadership of the Sony Computer Entertainment unit replaced Kazuo Hirai just a week ago. Following this move and the reviving of the gaming unit, PlayStation released a teaser for the multiplayer beta for Unchartered 3: Drake’s Deception. With gamers wanting more, PlayStation is looking at a possible redemption on November 1st, the official date of the game’s worldwide launch.Furthermore, Sony is already setting up all channels to restore PlayStation in Japan. Despite major losses, Sony remains one of Asia’s most valued brands.

Authorities are now going after suspects of a series of cybercrimes. But amidst all of these efforts, hackers are still enjoying their game. In June alone, seven gaming developers became victims of series of hacking episodes. These include Epic Game, Nintendo, Codemasters, Sony and three others. Sega, another gaming biggie, also confirmed being hacked and placing over 1.3 million accounts in jeopardy, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Other organizations that have fallen prey to successful cyber-attacks include Apple and Fox. Both companies say that only small amounts of usernames and passwords were attacked.

Even with massive manhunt globally, there seems to be no stopping these hackers from doing what they do best; steal. LulZec crackdown was quite a victory, but with the attention it received and possible money from intruding websites, there maybe tons of other “hacking start-ups” waiting to attack and progress. This reality calls for all organizations to beef up their arsenals to safeguard their data.


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