2011 PLAYSTATION NETWORK HACK

Between 17 and 19 April 2011, hackers stole information and gained access to up to 77 million Playstation Network accounts in one of the world’s biggest ever data breaches. The data stolen included unencrypted personal information, hashed passwords and encrypted credit card details. Sony took the network offline on 20 April and kept it on ice for 23 days, meaning that PS3 and PSP owners could not play online or download digitally purchased games. Sony estimated the cost of the outage at $171 million – not including a £250,000 fine issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office in 2013, for breaching the Data Protection Act 1998.