If you've been away from the internet for a while you probably aren't aware of the PSN intrusion that took place a week ago. According to Sony, all of their users (70+ million) personal information was exposed to theft. That includes everything from your name to your banking information, had you entered it on their system.

Normally I wouldn't bother writing about it. However, it has come to my attention that there are some individuals on the internet who aren't as worried as they should be. I have seen comments ranging from "Sony are just messing with people," to "It happens all the time, it is normal, don't panic." If that isn't the wrong response to this, I don't know what is

To begin with, all through my Bachelors program (Information System Security) never once were we told that because these things happen all the time we shouldn't worry about it. The proper response is not to be cavalier. The best practice in a situation where a customer's personal information could have been compromised is to prepare for the worst. Things may turn out differently, but at least you have your bases covered.

The instant Sony knew about the issue they should have released a statement stating something to the effect of "Hey, we were compromised. We haven't yet determined how severe it is, but you should assume your banking information was involved." To wait so many days for research to turn up the actual impact was a mistake. The panic caused was going to happen sooner or later. For safety sake, in this instance sooner would have been better.

Not only would releasing a statement such as that have covered them from the backlash they are getting now, it would have given all of their customers a head start in changing passwords, updating and cancelling banking cards and so on. People would have been angry, but it would have been for different reasons. They wouldn't have felt as though Sony waited too long to let them know.

Imagine the animosity people are going to have towards PSN now. How will Sony redeem themselves? If I learned anything from my schooling it was that recovering from an intrusion like this is hard, both financially and in the media. I hope for Sony's sake they can bounce back and make things right with everyone.