Sony hacked again, with 93,000 accounts compromised

Sony's suite of online networks has been hacked again, with the catastrophic PSN hack earlier this year is still fresh in gamers' minds. Digital deviants managed to compromise 93,000 accounts across the PlayStation Network, Sony Entertainment Network and Sony Online Entertainment.

Sony acknowledged the breach in a statement, explaining the attack involved intruders "testing a massive set of sign-in IDs and passwords against our network database".

Sony reckons that huge list of sign-in details comprises user lists from other companies who have also been hacked. So the mean old hackers were trying to match details from those lists against Sony's own database.

Sony says attempts to verify customers' usernames and passwords were successful in the case of approximately 60,000 PSN and SEN accounts and 33,000 SOE accounts.

The tech giant says that in cases where hackers were able to match login information, it's shut down those accounts, and a "small fraction of these 93,000 showed additional activity prior to being locked".

If your PSN or SEN account was compromised, Sony says it has sent you an email asking you to securely reset your password. SOE accounts have been temporarily turned off, with users sent email instructions on how to go about getting your service restored.

Unlike the massive hack earlier this year that saw millions of users' information nicked, this breach hasn't seen the PlayStation Network itself shut down. The news of this latest hack will be a fresh hit to gamers' confidence in Sony, however.

At least Sony won't have to worry about users suing -- recent changes to its terms and conditions make it impossible for gamers to file class action lawsuits against the company.

Are you affected? Are you upset with Sony, or should people expect these kinds of security breaches? Let us know in the comments section below, or on our Facebook wall.