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PSN Hack Update: FAQs in OP, Read before posting

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Blimblim

The Inside Track
UberTag said:
Hey Blimblim, any chance you can elaborate further on the above point?

While it's been stated that existing CC data was being stored in encrypted fashion (and I fully believe that's the case), when does that encryption process take place? Does it happen immediately upon the PI being associated to the customer's account via the console, PSP, PSN/Qriocity website? Or does that process happen further down the road? Furthermore, what rationale would there have been from a cost effectiveness standpoint for Sony to not have encrypted other customer information in their database?

I've been trying to wrap my head around a scenario where the hackers "may have had access to credit card information" yet did not have access to decryption keys. Understanding whether or not unencrypted credit card details could have been accessed if transactions took place from April 17-19 when the network was compromised would shed some light on the situation.
It really depends on how Sony designed their credit card processing system.
If they did it the sane way, the credit card processing (and storing) is done on a separate network and the PSN server themselves only store the id of the card as it was stored on that separate server. That way only (highly restricted) people who have access to the payment network can get the actual CC numbers. This is the type of network that should allow for NO outside AT ALL (except for the actual webservice of course), if there is an issue on such network, you go there and connect to the servers locally.
 
Blimblim said:
It really depends on how Sony designed their credit card processing system.
If they did it the sane way, the credit card processing (and storing) is done on a separate network and the PSN server themselves only store the id of the card as it was stored on that separate server. That way only (highly restricted) people who have access to the payment network can get the actual CC numbers. This is the type of network that should allow for NO outside AT ALL (except for the actual webservice of course), if there is an issue on such network, you go there and connect to the servers locally.

I do so love visits to the server room. They're like IT picnics.
 
UberTag said:
Hey Blimblim, any chance you can elaborate further on the above point?

While it's been stated that existing CC data was being stored in encrypted fashion (and I fully believe that's the case), when does that encryption process take place? Does it happen immediately upon the PI being associated to the customer's account via the console, PSP, PSN/Qriocity website? Or does that process happen further down the road? Furthermore, what rationale would there have been from a cost effectiveness standpoint for Sony to not have encrypted other customer information in their database?

I've been trying to wrap my head around a scenario where the hackers "may have had access to credit card information" yet did not have access to decryption keys. Understanding whether or not unencrypted credit card details could have been accessed if transactions took place from April 17-19 when the network was compromised would shed some light on the situation.

We can't know when it is encrypted as we have no information regarding Sony's system. But logically, it's when the CC is about to be inserted to the database (or the storage they use). Before that, it would make no sense. The CC info goes from your console or browser to Sony's front servers, then it needs to verify the informations with the bank, do other stuff and then send it to the storage. The transport between the servers (and sites) should be encrypted, but it is not the same kind of encryption as the one for the database. (Sending CC informations in clear over the internal network is disallowed by the PCI-DSS)

If the system is well designed, the non-encrypted CC informations should only be available in memory on the servers that process the CC submission and the transactions.
 

DoomGyver

Member
BocoDragon said:
Fuck Sony.
Fuck Sony.
Kgawi.gif
 

x3sphere

Member
cjtiger300 said:
The amount of misinformation in this post is insane. By the way, do you want friend code? I guess thats one way not to lose any info.
No, he's pretty much spot on. As for the chat log, it's legit. It's from #ps3dev on efnet.
 

Blimblim

The Inside Track
jim-jam bongs said:
I do so love visits to the server room. They're like IT picnics.
The servers at my work are about 45 km away from our main office. It helps making sure every single thing (including the network cables themselves) is redundant ;)
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
x3sphere said:
No, he's pretty much spot on. As for the chat log, it's legit. It's from #ps3dev on efnet.
Being from there of course doesn't make it automatically legit, but even if it was, the CC encryption portion of that chat has nothing to with the situation at hand. It was saying that the CC info you submit from your console is not being encrypted before it was sent over HTTPS (which still doesn't make it unsafe, as it just means it was single instead of double encrypted), so he was saying that if you install a CFW made by someone malicious, they could easily put some code in there that would transmit your CC info to them as plaintext, over regular HTTP. basically, a problem only if you install some shady CFW, and nothing to do with this.
 
This morning I got a phishing email to my email, that I used with PSN. I have never before gotten anything like this on there and only a handful of spam mails, so I'm thinking that this is because of the leak. Unless it's legit. It is supposedly from Yahoo and delicious bookmarks. I have never used either of them. Also the sending address is yahoo@yahoo-email.com.

Maybe I'm paranoid.
 

Blimblim

The Inside Track
Lord Error said:
Being from there of course doesn't make it automatically legit, but even if it was, the CC encryption portion of that chat has nothing to with the situation at hand. It was saying that the CC info you submit from your console is not being encrypted before it was sent over HTTPS (which still doesn't make it unsafe, as it just means it was single instead of double encrypted), so he was saying that if you install a CFW made by someone malicious, they could easily put some code in there that would transmit your CC info to them as plaintext, over regular HTTP. basically, a problem only if you install some shady CFW, and nothing to do with this.
Depending on the level of access to hacker did get on the PSN servers, he could very well have put a logger inside the webservices the PS3 uses to send the CC numbers. That's a common way to intercept CC numbers when they can't be extracted directly from a database when a host a compromised.
 

Withnail

Member
Rocky_Balboa said:
This morning I got a phishing email to my email, that I used with PSN. I have never before gotten anything like this on there and only a handful of spam mails, so I'm thinking that this is because of the leak. Unless it's legit. It is supposedly from Yahoo and delicious bookmarks. I have never used either of them. Also the sending address is yahoo@yahoo-email.com.

Maybe I'm paranoid.

FWIW I also received a similar email (from the same yahoo-email.com address) this morning and it looks fine to me. The links in the mail lead to the real delicious site so I don't think it's a phishing scam.

I have used delicious in the past though. It's a bit strange that you have received it if you have never used delicious or Yahoo.
 

glaurung

Member
Withnail said:
FWIW I also received a similar email (from the same yahoo-email.com address) this morning and it looks fine to me. The links in the mail lead to the real delicious site so I don't think it's a phishing scam.

I have used delicious in the past though. It's a bit strange that you have received it if you have never used delicious or Yahoo.
I got that email too.

I think it was simply an update since Yahoo acquired delicious. Could be wrong tho.
 

Diablos

Member
If that log is legit... um, wow.

Wasting all that time and money on attacking Geohot proved futile. They should've doubled down knowing their plastic network was at that point in serious risk and put the safety of their users first. Sony is really blowing my mind in how arrogant, unprofessional and utterly incompetent they have been lately.
 

Dead Man

Member
BeeDog said:
Still haven't gotten a Sony mail. Feels like my PSN account is completely overlooked, or even borked. :p
I got one for my US account that has no real information attached, but not for my UK, JP, HK, or my main Australia one.
 

Grampasso

Member
Got email as well, they didn't even care about properly translate it, it was made up by an automatic translator.
Fuck Sony.
Am I doing it right?
 
Withnail said:
FWIW I also received a similar email (from the same yahoo-email.com address) this morning and it looks fine to me. The links in the mail lead to the real delicious site so I don't think it's a phishing scam.

I have used delicious in the past though. It's a bit strange that you have received it if you have never used delicious or Yahoo.
Yeah it looks very legit. The fact that I haven't used delicious of Yahoo and the timing made me suspicious. Paranoid indeed.
 
Diablos said:
If that log is legit... um, wow.

Wasting all that time and money on attacking Geohot proved futile. They should've doubled down knowing their plastic network was at that point in serious risk and put the safety of their users first. Sony is really blowing my mind in how arrogant, unprofessional and utterly incompetent they have been lately.

Litigation and network security are completely separate things, they can sue geohotz AND work on their network without having to choose one over the other.
 

Zeliard

Member
MalboroRed said:
Litigation and network security are completely separate things, they can sue geohotz AND work on their network without having to choose one over the other.

Looks like both were successful ventures.
 

Withnail

Member
This has probably been discussed but I noticed that the new FAQ mentions a PS3 firmware update when the PSN goes back online. That must be one of the reasons it's all taking so long.

It's going to fuel the (deluded) cross-game chat speculation as well though.
 

neorej

ERMYGERD!
I burnt my mouth on a cheese & onion & bacon-pizza last night.

Fuck Sony.

srsly though, I got the email today on all my accounts, still no fraud on my CC.

I hope Sony fixes the PSN-security within the next few days. If the entire network is comprimized, you have no alternative but to start from scratch (maybe a good thing, rebuilding your network, allowing for massive improvements).
 

mr_nothin

Banned
koji said:
Has that IRC chatlog been posted here already?

Check it. Not sure if it's legit, some juicy stuff in there.
Ok...so they collect data about the games you play and the devices you connect to the PS3. Big deal. Collecting Data about the games you play = trophies anyways...how else would they be able to display the data to you?

Funny how they call Sony "spies". It's like they live in this other world were everybody is out to get them.
 

zoukka

Member
My friends card died today. He has the PSN account.

It's funny because he told me yesterday that there's nothing to worry :DD
 

Fafalada

Fafracer forever
Blimblim said:
That's a common way to intercept CC numbers when they can't be extracted directly from a database when a host a compromised.
That way could take months to get any large fraction of the userbase data - it certainly wouldn't be any relevant portion in 2 days.

Which is my main questions about this whole mess - 75milion accounts worth of data is NOT a small data transaction (unless it's a holywood movie in which case this would be done in 30seconds, just enough time to hide under the desk after security enters).
1) How does that go unnoticed by Sony for that long?
2) If 2 days gap is because they tried to download it 'low-profile' to go unnoticed by Sony, it's highly unlikely they got the whole thing.

Or is it perhaps because the intent was never to download but just to corrupt the hell out of database (if the claims about this being aimed against the corporation rather then users are true).
 

Angst

Member
mr_nothin said:
Ok...so they collect data about the games you play and the devices you connect to the PS3. Big deal. Collecting Data about the games you play = trophies anyways...how else would they be able to display the data to you?

Funny how they call Sony "spies". It's like they live in this other world were everybody is out to get them.
Bu bu but then Sony knows the insane number of hours I've played Hannah Montana? FUUUUUUU
 

Combichristoffersen

Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Still no mail for me :( At least there haven't been any fraudulent charges from my (now cancelled) Visa debit card.

Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii.
Fuck Sony.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
Moving forward, we are initiating several measures that will significantly enhance all aspects of PlayStation Network’s security and your personal data, including moving our network infrastructure and data center to a new, more secure location, which is already underway. We will provide additional information on these measures shortly.

Uhh...does anyone get a whiff of 'inside job' from that? That sounds like they mean a physically more secure location.

But maybe I'm wrong...
 

BeeDog

Member
Combichristoffersen said:
Still no mail for me :( At least there haven't been any fraudulent charges from my (now cancelled) Visa debit card.

Mount Vesuvius erupted and destroyed Pompeii.
Fuck Sony.

I can't even check my account, now that I'm waiting for the new card.

Fuck Sony.
 

Vagabundo

Member
cjtiger300 said:
Why are people using this as a credible source? The Credit Card info was encrypted.

The credit card information - from tat chat log - is sent in plain text over the SSL channel (which itself is encrypted). The poster comments that this not usually sufficient and that the CC info is usually encrypted on the client and then sent over SSL. This has nothing to do with how the CC info may have been stored on the PSN servers.
 

Blimblim

The Inside Track
Vagabundo said:
The credit card information - from tat chat log - is sent in plain text over the SSL channel (which itself is encrypted). The poster comments that this not usually sufficient and that the CC info is usually encrypted on the client and then sent over SSL. This has nothing to do with how the CC info may have been stored on the PSN servers.
You can't encrypt on the client when it's a SSL transaction done with a web browser (well technically you could do it with JS, but there is no point in doing that), which is about 99% of the CC transactions you'll ever see over the internet. So no, it's not a problem under normal circumstances.
 

Hanmik

Member
Vagabundo said:
The credit card information - from tat chat log - is sent in plain text over the SSL channel (which itself is encrypted). The poster comments that this not usually sufficient and that the CC info is usually encrypted on the client and then sent over SSL. This has nothing to do with how the CC info may have been stored on the PSN servers.

you try a "little" to hard..
 

Gadfly

While flying into a tree he exclaimed "Egad!"
I find it ironic that a company that doesn't mind installing a rootkit on your PC in order to stop you from copying a couple of songs, is so careless with your personal information.
 

Crackers

Neo Member
Vagabundo said:
The credit card information - from tat chat log - is sent in plain text over the SSL channel (which itself is encrypted). The poster comments that this not usually sufficient and that the CC info is usually encrypted on the client and then sent over SSL. This has nothing to do with how the CC info may have been stored on the PSN servers.

So SSL isn't sufficient for internet banking now? Someone should tell the banks!
 
Vagabundo said:
The credit card information - from tat chat log - is sent in plain text over the SSL channel (which itself is encrypted). The poster comments that this not usually sufficient and that the CC info is usually encrypted on the client and then sent over SSL. This has nothing to do with how the CC info may have been stored on the PSN servers.

So almost all CC transactions on the internet which us HTTPS are bogus then?

Seriously, give it a rest. Your earlier post was full of assumption and hyperbole as well...
 

Pistolero

Member
gofreak said:
Uhh...does anyone get a whiff of 'inside job' from that? That sounds like they mean a physically more secure location.

But maybe I'm wrong...


You are on the verge of opening another Pandora's box, gofreak! :)

By the way, I can see that the drama has lost of some of its intensity...I want my paranoïd and hyperbolic gaf back!
 

jax (old)

Banned
Vagabundo said:
The credit card information - from tat chat log - is sent in plain text over the SSL channel (which itself is encrypted). The poster comments that this not usually sufficient and that the CC info is usually encrypted on the client and then sent over SSL. This has nothing to do with how the CC info may have been stored on the PSN servers.

You just kind of need to Shut the fuck up already.
 
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