On April 20, Sony"s Playstation Network online gaming service was shut down for several weeks due to a cyber attack on the network. The experience was a major public relations blow to Sony as tens of millions of PSN"s personal info was exposed. However, the head of Sony"s network entertainment division, Tim Schaaff, has a slightly different viewpoint than one might expect.
Venture Beat reports that when asked about the Playstation Network cyber attack, Tim Schaaff stated, "Great experience, really good time." However for any hacker groups who feel that remark is an invite to launch a second cyber attack, Schaaff quickly added, "Though I wouldn’t like to do it again." He also said that Sony felt it was important to deal with the aftermath of the event rather than concentrate its efforts on just making the PSN network safer from future hack attacks. He states, "A determined hacker will get you, the question is how you build your life so you’re able to cope with those things."
According to PC Magazine, Schaaff said that Sony has recovered from the cyber attack pretty well, saying, "We"re back online, everything"s live again around the world, and the amazing thing through all of this is that the customers have all come back, and network performance is better than ever, sales are better than ever, and we"ve been very, very pleasantly surprised by the experience." Sony offered PSN customers a number of compensation efforts including free downloadable games, free time to use its premium Playstation Plus service and the ability to sign up for one year of free identify theft protection and insurance.