The consumer organization, FACUA, has applied to the Spanish Data Protection Agency to open an investigation into a massive breach of security on the Playstation Network (PSN) after the personal data of some 77 million players was accessed by a hacker.
The security breach has allegedly allowed the hacker to access client’s personal data including credit card details.
Now the Spanish Data Protection Agency will investigate if “the rights of citizens” have been violated under the norms of data protection and who is responsible.
Although the servers of the Playstation Network are not situated in Spain Article 9 of the Organic Law of Data Protection places an obligation on companies operating on the peninsula to “adopt measures which guarantee the security of data and obviate unauthorized access.”
The Agency is currently investigating a security breach by Nintendo which allowed a surfer to place the personal data of 4,000 clients on the Internet and last year fined Vodafone 100,000 euros after discovering that personal details of third parties could be accessed on its network.
Current advice to Internet users who subscribe to the Playstation Network is:
If the same password for the Playstation Network is employed on other sites, from banks to social networks, change it immediately.
Surfers should not respond to any email sent in the name of SONY which asks for personal data. However SONY has sent an email advising its 77 million clients of the breach, albeit nearly a week after the breach, which includes a list of measures clients should take.
Anyone who has subscribed to the Playstation Network should check their bank accounts immediately and particularly credit card transactions.
