Sony"s efforts to contain the effects of the cyber attack on the Playstation Network will extend to offering free identity theft protection services for its customers. In a post on the official Playstation web site, Sony Playstation"s head PR rep Patrick Seybold wrote that the company is offering free enrollment to a third party protection service for PlayStation Network and Qriocity customers here in the US. So far there"s no word on when this offer will be extended to overseas customers with Seybold writing, "We are working to make similar programs available in other countries/territories where applicable."
The company that Sony is using is Debix, a division of AllClear ID. The company has already set up a web site for Playstation Network users. Seybold states that the free identity theft protection service will last for 12 months once a customer signs up for the service. Activation emails should be sent out in a few days and customers will have until June 18 to sign up to use Debix"s service.
The free 12 month offer will give Playstation Network customers, among other features, insurance of up to $1 million for "certain fees, lost wages and fraud losses related to recovering your identity" The company will also monitor the internet to see if a customer"s personal info is being used illegally and if a customer"s identity is stolen Debix says it "will work to fully repair and restore it."
It"s estimated that over 70 million user accounts with personal info was lifted from the cyber attacks on Sony"s Playstation Network servers which forced Sony to shut down the network on April 20. So far Sony claims there is no evidence that credit card info has been taken from the Playstation Network cyber attacks although it has admitted that a small number of older credit card numbers have been exposed on its Sony Online Entertainment"s MMO servers during a similar attack.