Sony Offers $1 Million of Identity Theft Insurance to Each User

Sony CEO Howard Stringer has taken to his company’s blog for some additional damage control in light of the ongoing PlayStation Network data breach. Aside from the requisite we’re taking this very seriously rhetoric, Stringer’s letter contains a few details pertinent to PSN users.

For starters, U.S. PSN members are all getting a year’s worth of identity theft coverage that provides cyber monitoring, access to “identity restoration specialists,” and up to $1 million worth of identity theft insurance. Details will be sent out via e-mail “over the next few days.” And Stringer notes, “To date, there is no confirmed evidence any credit card or personal information has been misused, and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

And once the PlayStation Network and Sony’s Qriocity music services are back online, we’ll all get a free month of PlayStation Plus “as well as an extension of subscriptions for PlayStation Plus and Music Unlimited customers to make up for time lost.”

Stringer also ends the letter by saying, “In the coming days, we will restore service to the networks and welcome you back to the fun.”

No word on how many days that’ll actually be, though, and if these latest threats about another attack against Sony this weekend turn out to be true, things could get even uglier.

More on TIME.com:

Reports Say Another Security Attack Is Planned Against Sony

Security Expert: Sony’s Network Was ‘Unpatched and Had No Firewall Installed’

Who’s Cleaning Up the PSN Debacle for Sony?

pks29733steel

Sony’s offer reminds me of a old song “Too Little, Too Late”. You would figure a major electronics firm that also makes computers would have better security around it’s servers! Yep, they are now offering “$1 Million” in identity theft, the “thefts” will stay with the victums for LIFE!
cyberprivateer

I’m still inclined to cut Sony some slack here. The decision was “late” but not “too little” IMHO. Now, if Howard Stringer could just find a government (Japan, probably) inclined to legitimize a bunch of “cyber privateers” to open up a giant can of whup-ass on the people attacking Sony. I still think Japan’s Prime Minister Kan and Sony CEO Stringer should give Oracle’s Larry Ellison a call. Larry knows how to go to war, which I detail at: http://www.themorgandoctrine.com/2011/04/dear-japan-call-larry-ellison.html

Good luck, Sony.
theidchannel

Unfortunately, the identity theft “protection” that Sony is offered via Debix is woefully inadequate. In fact, it may actually do more harm than good. Sony simply rebundled Debix’s current free offering and added a worthless $1 million identity theft insurance policy (have you ever heard of anybody collecting on an identity theft insurance policy?). First, it does absolutely nothing to “prevent” identity theft, and it is missing the most effective tool for preventing financial identity theft: fraud alerts. While they are not perfect, they are much more effective than “scouring the internet” looking for your information. I wrote an article to inform, educate and protect Sony’s consumer-victims:

http://theidchannel.com/NEWS/ViewArticle/tabid/85/ArticleId/383/Days-of-our-Sony-the-Saga-Continues.aspx