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posted by LaminatorX on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:04AM   Printer-friendly
from the memory-sick dept.

Sony was targeted by an attack to their infrastructure. Apparently, large parts of their internal network was infiltrated.
According to This story

the threat is enough that Sony has shut down its electronics on a global scale as the company investigates the breach. An unnamed source spoke to Deadline and said, “We are down, completely paralyzed.” [...]
Another unnamed source [...] went on to say that [...] the situation will take anywhere from one day to three weeks to be resolved.

I have a feeling computer security is a very lucrative business to work in for the foreseeable future...

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:25AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:25AM (#120033)

    computer security is a very lucrative business to work in for the foreseeable future...

    Only as long as Microsoft products are ubiquitous.

    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:55AM

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    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @02:49AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @02:49AM (#120056)

      Actually it was Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, but Sony bought out Ericsson's interest in their joint venture so now it's Sony Mobile.

      We were using Ubuntu as a development platform for the Sony Ericsson XPeria Play Android Phone - Android runs Linux.

      The stopped using Windows CE for their phones specifically because Microsoft refused to fix the bugs that Sony Ericsson reported to them.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @04:03AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @04:03AM (#120085)

      computer security is a very lucrative business to work in for the foreseeable future...

      As long as all the secrecy of how the software works is intact, this position seems to mostly give some businessman someone to blame when the shit hits the fan. I do not think there is much one can do about it but simply be paid to take the fall for it. Basically, you are paid so some businessman can claim he's "taken action" against a threat.

      As long as the system goes as it has been going, computer takedowns will be a constant threat.

      There are at least two ways of thwarting neighborhood pranksters setting outhouses on fire: Get a pack of dogs and try to watch them like a hawk, or build your outhouse out of cinder block. Personally, I would rather build my outhouse out of cinder block. Today's OS'es have gotten so complex and full of special interest add-ins that it has become so unstable that in my mind its almost useless.

      We need some simple thing that's about as hard to hack as a hand calculator. Natively understands HTML with, .jpg, .gif, .png, .mp3, and .mp4 . Thoroughly understood and ROM based. Any special crap some business may insist on would have to be downloaded from them, with the understanding that they take responsibility for what's in that code.

      At any time, I should be able to completely clear my machine, then it simply reverts to the state it was in when I first bought it. I would then have to revisit the businesses for any special programs they need me to have ( shopping apps or the like ) , and reload any personal data files from USB sticks. For crying out loud, don't have this thing set up to default to booting from some USB stick! At least keep me in control long enough for me to transfer control to a trusted debugging app should I find myself fraught with malware.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by q.kontinuum on Wednesday November 26 2014, @05:33AM

        by q.kontinuum (532) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @05:33AM (#120165) Journal

        lucrative business

        [ ...] this position seems to mostly give some businessman someone to blame when the shit hits the fan.[...]

        Definitely. But since it serves the personal interest of high management while beeing paid by company, it becomes even more lucrative. I wouldn't mind raking in some millions (billions if enough companies sign up) in return for taking the blame. (Well, in case of Sony I'm not sure "blame" is the right word. Maybe "credit"?)
        If they overdo it and threaten to sue you over the incident (or do anything else costing you actual money), you find some mandatory policy in your agreement with them that they didn't keep (e.g. some computers in the network didn't have USB deactivated or some other BS) and be done with it.

        Ok, that was the business part. But since I'm actually interested in security, this would give me the funding to do actual research in that area and maybe find some things relevant/useful for end-users.

        We need some simple thing that's about as hard to hack as a hand calculator. Natively understands HTML with, .jpg, .gif, .png, .mp3, and .mp4 . Thoroughly understood and ROM based.

        Not meeting exactly your specification, but probably close: Boot a hardened (as in tightly configured SE-Linux with minimal set of applications and drivers), minimalistic Linux distribution from DVD-ROM, set your BIOS to boot from DVD only, and connect a drive for data only. But don't use [soylentnews.org] any USB device (or any other multi-purpose interface device) which might be hacked and re-infect your machine on each boot.

        --
        Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Justin Case on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:26AM

    by Justin Case (4239) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:26AM (#120034) Journal

    Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people.

    Oh, wait... everyone is a nicer bunch of people than these guys. How many have already forgotten the rootkit [wikipedia.org] Sony put on legitimately purchased music CDs? The one that was mysteriously not detected by any anti-virus vendor. The one that hogged a slice of your CPU all the time not just when you were listening to music you bought and paid for.

    I don't remember anyone from Sony going to jail for that massive malware attack. Hmmm. Much less paying full and fair cash damages to each and every one of their 22 million victims. Hmmm.

    Oh well I'm sure when they catch whoever did this Sony will extend the same courtesy. Hahaha. You really got us that time! Good one!

    I, for one, still refuse to buy any Sony product, and I hope there are others who keep the faith until they die... or Sony goes under, whichever happens first.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @02:18AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @02:18AM (#120052)

      I, for one, still refuse to buy any Sony product

      Do you refuse to knowingly download any Sony product that is unlawfully distributed? For as long as you hold your vow to buy from them?

      That would be impressive. Otherwise, not at all, not even a tiny bit.

      • (Score: 2) by q.kontinuum on Wednesday November 26 2014, @05:12AM

        by q.kontinuum (532) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @05:12AM (#120125) Journal

        That would have been a good argument if Sony behaved fairly and GP would lobby against their prices. But since it is about Sony acting evil, any action against Sony is logically in line with his argument and his stated goals.

        --
        Registered IRC nick on chat.soylentnews.org: qkontinuum
    • (Score: 2) by Kell on Wednesday November 26 2014, @06:54AM

      by Kell (292) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @06:54AM (#120174)

      I don't know why you're modded funny, because everything you've said is entirely true. Sony has not kept good faith with its customers (yes, customers not "consumers" - a term I consider concommitant with "mindless eater"). I, for two, will not use Sony products either (neither bought nor pirated). Likewise, I do not use Steam or play EA games. I vote with my feet and my wallet.

      --
      Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @08:10AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @08:10AM (#120180)

        I would like to third your comment. This is the kind of crap we get when we tolerate security by obscurity.

        The people in the know run amuck over the ignorant. Most of us are in the latter camp.

        This has already been pointed out as how many Sony executives went to jail for their rootkit? If I get chosen as any sort of juror in this case, my recommendation it the people who hacked into Sony owe the executives five songs. Wasn't that what Sony was charged?

        I will post AC because I want to come back to this forum for some sorely needed modpoint distribution should I get any.

    • (Score: 2) by SrLnclt on Wednesday November 26 2014, @05:05PM

      by SrLnclt (1473) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @05:05PM (#120318)
      Or when they pulled the rug out from under PS3 users when they dropped support for Linux as part of a software update required to play online. Or when they were hacked, leaked personally identifiable information on 77 million accounts, and had a 24 day downtime [wikipedia.org] for the online Playstation Network while they tried to cleanup the mess.

      I'm glad I'm not the only one who has refused to buy a Sony product for nearly a decade. They haven't exactly been improving their image since the Sony BMG rootkit first came to light.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @08:26PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @08:26PM (#120373)

      Sony's rootkit also infringed the copyright of several free software authors. I find it incredible that none of those pressed charges. Sure, it's a nasty billion dollar company with waves after waves of attack lawyers but this seems like a very clear case. Admittedly I'm not intimately familiar with the details.

      I guess this goes in to my big fat folder of trillion dollar bailouts for the too-rich-to-jail and million dollar fines for the Jammie Thomases of this world...

    • (Score: 2) by jasassin on Friday November 28 2014, @12:14AM

      by jasassin (3566) <jasassin@gmail.com> on Friday November 28 2014, @12:14AM (#120733) Homepage Journal

      I, for one, still refuse to buy any Sony product, and I hope there are others who keep the faith until they die... or Sony goes under, whichever happens first.

      I felt the same way. When my mom needed a CD/tape/radio boom box... guess what the best option available was? Sony. Sure, I hate the fucks as much as anyone else but I'm not going to shoot myself in the foot to spite Sony.

      --
      jasassin@gmail.com GPG Key ID: 0xE6462C68A9A3DB5A
  • (Score: 4, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:30AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:30AM (#120035)

    "I have some good news and some bad news boss. The good news is that our new DRM scheme works..."

  • (Score: 5, Informative) by timbim on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:36AM

    by timbim (907) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:36AM (#120038)

    Remember Sony banning users who modded their PlayStations, the infamous case of installing "rootkits" on PCs of users as copy control for CD, and lawsuits it has filed against the likes of George Hotz and Jammie Thomas?

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Ian Johnson on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:44AM

    by Ian Johnson (4866) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @01:44AM (#120041)

    Not paying the ransom was clearly the right thing to do, but the decision looks to have cost Sony dearly. After this I would imagine the next company GOP attack will fold and pay up, since that would probably be in the best interest of the business.

    Don't worry though, the NSA and FBI monitor the internet in fine detail, so they'll catch these criminals in days. What's that? The NSA/FBI spying is completely ineffective when it comes to catching criminals and terrorists? It's only done to keep the government in a position of power? Oh :(

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday November 26 2014, @02:40AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 26 2014, @02:40AM (#120055) Journal

      It's only done to keep the government in a position of power?

      I wonder if it's even that. Yes, seems like its done to keep something/somebody in power, while likely it's the government, I don't know for sure.

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 5, Insightful) by kaszz on Wednesday November 26 2014, @03:01AM

        by kaszz (4211) on Wednesday November 26 2014, @03:01AM (#120062) Journal

        Or to keep corporation that sponsor government in leading market position.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @03:59AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @03:59AM (#120084)

        It's only done to keep the government in a position of power?

        I wonder if it's even that.

        Something involving so many people and so many billions of dollars will not have "only" one reason. Real life is not binary. As long as geeks insist on over-simplifying human interactions to single causes we will have no voice in deciding anything that involves humans.

        • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @04:11AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @04:11AM (#120091)

          As long as geeks insist on over-simplifying human interactions to single causes we will have no voice in deciding anything that involves humans.

          If you insist so much on being precise, exactly who is that we? Aliens?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @04:50AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @04:50AM (#120103)

          Real life is not binary. As long as geeks insist on over-simplifying human interactions to single causes we will have no voice in deciding anything that involves humans.

          Dissension is forbidden. You will be provided but two choices: be assimilated or be destroyed!

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @03:33AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @03:33AM (#120073)

    no more, never again, fuck you Sony BMG.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @09:42AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 26 2014, @09:42AM (#120198)

    This one. Almost ten years ago. [wikipedia.org]

    How people could see what took place and still think there is such a thing as "trustworthy computing" is beyond me.

    You might as well store your stuff in a cardboard box out in the alley. It says "trustworthy" on the box so the thieves and pranksters will leave it alone. So they say.

    According to that article, there are 22 million copies of how to take over one's machine now out there.

    This is a prime example of why business executives are often considered as greedy little bastards having no common sense, yet they always seem to find someone higher up the ladder who will hire them.