Right on the heels of patching up a security flaw from their last hack attack, it looks like hackers were once again able to break into Sony’s servers and embarrass the corporation even further.
Naked Security has more details regarding the hack, although truth be told this latest breach could cost the company millions (if not billions) of dollars in lost future revenue as consumers become weary of shopping upon the Play Station Network.
Although Sony has hired security organizations to help fix any future problems, the company might be better off by launching a Pwn2Own competition in order to help seal up any potential security holes.
Pwn2Own?
For those of you not immersed in the world of geek, Pwn2Own is a hacker competition held yearly at the CanSecWest security conference.
Basically hackers compete for cash prizes for finding innovative exploits in software (i.e. browsers, operating systems, etc.) as well as devices powered by Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.
Once an exploit is exposed, hackers receive cash for the hack while companies receive data about the exploit (helping them issue patches to prevent future hacks).
Should Sony Create Their Own Pwn2Own?
No matter who you spin it Sony’s security breaches are not helping their corporate image.
If more attacks like these occur in the future, users may end up bailing on Sony and end up switching to rivals like Xbox 360 due to concerns about security.
Instead of writing off hundreds of millions of dollars on lost future revenue, Sony could instead invest those funds in improving their security much faster via hackers.
Sony could structure the competitions in such a way where hackers can not divulge the exploit until the company has issued a patch for it.
Would Hackers Sign Up?
If the cash prizes were large enough (say $20,000 plus) then they would probably receive a large number of users willing to show off their attempts at breaking into Sony’s Playstation Network.
It would also help the company build some much needed rapport with the hacking community.
Although Sony could skip the whole Pwn2Own idea and hire private firms to fix their site, it might be wiser to gain knowledges from the minds of the masses than limited wisdom from a few security firms.
Image Credits: Sony, J.Anderson, LockSley.net
Originally posted on May 24, 2011 @ 4:24 pm