Friday, June 3, 2011
A group of Internet hackers, which refers to itself as Lulz Security or LulzSec, has claimed to have broken into servers for Sony entertainment websites and stolen in excess of one million items of personal details, including email addresses and passwords. Seventy-five thousand “music codes” and three-and-a-half million “music coupons” were also alleged broken into, according to a statement on their website.
In a statement, LulzSec reported that, “[f]rom a single injection, we accessed EVERYTHING” [sic]. Claiming that Sony had not encrypted data which they allegedly gained access to and “were asking for it”, the group questioned: “Why do you put such faith in a company that allows itself to become open to these simple attacks?” Sony Pictures Entertainment spokesperson Jim Kennedy has stated that the corporation is “looking into these claims”.
This incident is reminiscent of an occasion when the data of over 77 million accounts on the PlayStation Network were unlawfully taken by hackers in April 2011. The thefts prompted Sony to close the network, as well as other features, for nearly one month. According to BBC News Online, the attack is thought to be the largest in the history of the Internet.