PlayStation Hacker May Have Users’ Credit Card Info

A hacker who got into the PlayStation Network may have gotten players' credit card information—including expiration dates and security codes, reports USA Today. "We cannot rule out the possibility," says a Sony executive on a company blog. The hacker, or hackers, did get personal information such as names, addresses, email addresses, passwords, and log-in names, notes the AP. Sony says it doesn't know for sure that credit card data got taken as well, but is warning people who gave information to PSN or the Qriocity music system "out of an abundance of caution."

The PlayStation Network has been shut down for about a week now ever since Sony discovered the security breach. It's another example of companies collecting too much information, says an official with the Electronic Privacy Information Center. “Gamers want their high scores to be visible on the network, but credit card and personal information should not be visible," he tells the New York Times. "We've always said that if you can’t protect it, don’t collect it.” (More PlayStation stories.)