Sony has found a vulnerability, which in theory could have allowed a hacker to gain unauthorized access to personal information on the Sony Playstation Store through PCs, a content download service of the company's Playstation Network. The security flaw, which has been already fixed, allowed a potential attacker to change a user's password and thus gain access to his or her account.
Although the company did say that the situation is now under control and that system security has been restored. That damage control, if any required, will be looked into by Sony. The company said it has analyzed the extent of possible damage, and is in the process of contacting individuals it deems as having been victimized.
"Although unlikely, it is possible that the passwords of a small percentage of Playstation Network users may have been changed through unauthorized access, making it possible to view users' personal information, and/or use the Wallet for the Playstation Store," Sony said in a blog post.
Playstation Network accounts do not display entire credit card numbers, Sony notes, and states that "any unauthorized access to your PlayStation Network account is very unlikely to compromise your credit card number."
Sony is also encouraging registered users to log into their accounts to check if their accounts are safe. In the event users are unable to access their accounts, they've been advised to contact customer support, information regarding which is available on Sony's official Web site.
Sony unveiled the Playstation Store through PC last year in November. According to a statement released by Sony there are 2.9 million registered PlayStation Network accounts in North America.