Incident: Sony PlayStation Network Data Breach Incident

Published Date: 2011-04-26

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident involving Sony occurred in April 2011 [Article 16270]. 2. The cyber-attack on the London Borough of Hackney happened in October 2021 [Article 113390]. 3. The cyber-attack on an NHS software supplier took place in August 2022 [Article 131119].
System 1. PlayStation Network and Qriocity services [5162, 5164] 2. PSN system [5164] 3. SNEI division server located at AT&T's service center in San Diego, California [5169] 4. Sony's data center in San Diego, California [5671] 5. Sony's network [5692] 6. Sony's network following several distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks [16270] 7. City software used by Atlanta [72452] 8. NHS software supplier [131119]
Responsible Organization 1. Hackers [5110, 5162, 5164, 5165, 5169, 5671, 5674, 5692, 5693, 6220, 16270] 2. Criminal operation [5165, 5692] 3. Rogue software [66218] 4. Flaw in the software [75440, 106041] 5. Lazarus Group [91569] 6. Ransomware group [131120]
Impacted Organization 1. NHS providers [131034, 131039, 131119] 2. Sony (PlayStation Network and Qriocity services) [5162, 5169, 5674, 5692, 5693, 6220, 16270]
Software Causes 1. Exploitation of vulnerabilities in Sony's network, including a SQL injection and a publicly accessible database server [5692]. 2. Exploitation of a vulnerability in Sony's network following distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks [16270]. 3. Use of a Web application to access LivingSocial's SQL databases [18288]. 4. Exploitation of a flaw in the software on British Airways' website [75440]. 5. Compromise of software leading to the encryption of product pictures for Offix Group's websites [113390]. 6. Cyber-attack on an NHS software supplier causing disruption to key health services [131119, 131120].
Non-software Causes 1. Lack of attention to security during software development [5110] 2. Unauthorised intrusion leading to a security breach [5162] 3. Sophisticated criminal operation involvement [5165] 4. Failure to address vulnerability in the network even after spotting unauthorised access [16270] 5. Exploitation of a flaw in the software on the website [75440]
Impacts 1. Patient data could have been stolen in a cyber-attack on an NHS software supplier, leading to disruptions in key health services, including the 111 telephone advice service, GP surgeries, and specialist mental health trusts [Article 131119]. 2. The attack on Advanced, a company providing software for the NHS, caused widespread outages across the health service, affecting services such as patient referrals, ambulance dispatch, out-of-hours appointment bookings, mental health services, and emergency prescriptions [Article 131120]. 3. The Welsh ambulance service described the outage as "significant," "major," and "far-reaching," affecting all four nations of the UK [Article 131126].
Preventions 1. Implementing an intrusion detection system to detect probing activities prior to successful intrusions could have prevented the software failure incident [5692]. 2. Following basic IT security best practices, such as installing necessary fixes and updates, could have prevented the WannaCry cyber-attack on the NHS [66013]. 3. Addressing security issues and implementing measures like limiting access, rigorous testing, and multi-factor authentication could have prevented the British Airways hack [106041]. 4. Early intervention and containment by the Incident Response Team could have prevented the malware spread in the incident involving Advanced Health and Care systems [131034, 131039].
Fixes 1. Implementing automated software monitoring and configuration management, enhancing data encryption, and adding more firewalls [5693]. 2. Conducting a forensic security examination to identify vulnerabilities and taking steps to rebuild the system for greater protection of personal information [5163]. 3. Upgrading PSN server system security and responding to intrusion attempts promptly [5692]. 4. Utilizing intrusion detection systems to detect and respond to network probing activities [5692]. 5. Collaborating with external security firms to investigate security breaches and potential data leaks [5164]. 6. Enhancing security precautions and conducting a basic review of network services to prevent future incidents [5671]. 7. Contacting authorities like the FBI to investigate criminal cyber attacks and taking necessary security measures [5170, 5680]. 8. Regularly updating software to address vulnerabilities and prevent exploitation by hackers [58989]. 9. Addressing security issues to prevent similar hacks in the future [106041]. 10. Restoring IT operations using backups and working with IT security partners to recover from the incident [104752].
References 1. Sony representatives [Article 6220] 2. Law and Regulations Commission in Taipei, Taiwan [Article 6223] 3. ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) [Article 16270]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring one_organization, multiple_organization (a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization: - Article 106124 mentions that British Airways (BA) faced a severe data breach incident where they failed to protect themselves from a preventable cyber attack and did not detect the hack until significant damage was done to hundreds of thousands of customers. (b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization: - Article 58989 discusses how cybercriminals have targeted various organizations, including hospitals, academic institutions, blue-chip companies, and movie theater chains, highlighting the challenges organizations face in consistently applying security safeguards on a large scale.
Phase (Design/Operation) design, operation (a) The software failure incident related to the design phase is evident in the case of Sony's network security breach. According to Paller, Sony may not have paid enough attention to security during the software development phase, prioritizing innovation over security. This lack of focus on security during the design phase led to the exposure of code with errors to a large number of people, potentially contributing to the catastrophic breach [5110]. (b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase is highlighted in the case of the cyber-attack on the NHS software supplier. The attack caused significant disruptions to key health services, including the 111 telephone advice service, GP surgeries, and specialist mental health trusts, indicating a failure in the operation or misuse of the software system [131119, 131120].
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system, outside_system (a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Sony network breach was primarily due to contributing factors that originated from within the system. The incident involved errors in the software code, potential vulnerabilities in the corporate systems, and a failure to address a known vulnerability in the network [5110, 5165, 5692, 16270]. (b) outside_system: The software failure incident related to the cyber-attack on the NHS software supplier involved external factors such as a group gaining access to the computer system through phishing attacks and VPNs used by employees [131119, 131120, 131126].
Nature (Human/Non-human) non-human_actions, human_actions (a) The software failure incident occurring due to non-human actions: - The software failure incident involving the NHS computer system outage was caused by a cyber-attack carried out by cybercriminals rather than a nation state, affecting services like patient referrals, ambulance dispatches, appointment bookings, and emergency prescriptions [131126]. - The cyber attack on the NHS resulted in significant challenges for the health service, leading to issues such as manually typing up paper notes due to the system outage [131039]. - The cyber attack on the NHS and other organizations involved malicious software that locked up thousands of computers worldwide, disrupting operations and services [71457]. (b) The software failure incident occurring due to human actions: - Sony's data breach was attributed to negligence by those responsible for maintaining the computer systems, with a lack of seriousness in following manufacturer instructions and cultural complacency towards security matters [59328]. - The attack on Sony's network was suspected to have been facilitated by a system administrator's PC being compromised through a malicious software download, highlighting potential human error in handling security protocols [5110]. - There were speculations about the Sony attack being the work of a sophisticated criminal operation, indicating potential human involvement in orchestrating the breach [5165].
Dimension (Hardware/Software) software (a) The articles do not provide specific information about a software failure incident occurring due to hardware-related factors. (b) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily attributed to software-related factors. For example, in Article 5110, it is mentioned that Sony may not have paid enough attention to security when developing the software running its network, leading to errors in the code being exposed to a large number of people. Additionally, Article 5165 discusses various ways the attackers could have gained access to Sony's network, including exploiting vulnerabilities in the software and firmware of gaming machines. These instances highlight the software-related issues that contributed to the failure incidents.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) malicious (a) The software failure incident was malicious: - The software failure incident involving the WannaCry ransomware was a malicious attack where hackers exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft's Windows operating systems to automatically run programs on other computers on the same network [Article 66013]. - The WannaCry ransomware locked up thousands of computers worldwide, including targeting the NHS and Nissan's plant in Sunderland, demanding ransom payments and threatening to destroy data if demands were not met [Article 71457]. (b) The software failure incident was non-malicious: - The failure to address a vulnerability in Sony's network, which was exploited by attackers following distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, was described as a non-malicious failure by the data protection body [Article 16270]. - The article mentions that data breaches can occur due to various reasons such as leaving sensitive security data on USB flash drives, social engineering, disgruntled employees, or exploiting weaknesses in a company's cybersecurity, indicating non-malicious factors contributing to software failures [Article 75440].
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) poor_decisions, accidental_decisions (a) The intent of the software failure incident related to poor decisions can be seen in the following articles: - Article 5110 highlights how Sony may not have paid enough attention to security when developing its software, with security taking a back seat in the rush to innovate. - Article 5692 discusses the possibility of negligence on Sony's part in securing its systems, with experts suggesting that due care may not have been exercised. - Article 75440 mentions the possibility of hackers compromising a flaw in the software on British Airways' website, indicating a potential poor decision in software security. (b) The intent of the software failure incident related to accidental decisions can be seen in the following articles: - Article 66013 mentions that it is still unclear why WannaCry included a kill switch, with some researchers speculating that it may have been accidental. - Article 106124 discusses how British Airways failed to detect the hack until the damage was done to hundreds of thousands of customers, indicating a failure to detect the cyber attack rather than a deliberate decision. Therefore, the software failure incidents mentioned in the articles involve a combination of poor decisions and accidental decisions leading to the failures.
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) development_incompetence, accidental (a) The software failure incident occurring due to development incompetence: - Article 5110 mentions that Sony may not have paid enough attention to security during the development of its software, indicating a lack of professional competence in ensuring security measures were adequately implemented. - Article 5692 discusses the possibility of negligence on Sony's part in securing its systems, suggesting a lack of professional competence in addressing potential vulnerabilities. - Article 75440 speculates that hackers may have compromised a flaw in the software on British Airways' website, indicating a potential lack of professional competence in ensuring the security of the website. (b) The software failure incident occurring accidentally: - Article 66218 mentions a UK security researcher accidentally halting the spread of malicious software by finding a "kill switch" in the rogue software's code, indicating an accidental discovery that helped mitigate the incident.
Duration temporary (a) The software failure incident mentioned in the articles was temporary. The incident caused disruptions and outages, but efforts were made to fix the issues and restore the affected systems. For example, in the case of the cyber attack on the NHS, efforts were made to bring the systems back online, although it was mentioned that fixing the problems arising from the incident may take some time [Article 131039]. Similarly, in the case of the attack on Atlanta's city software, officials believed that no critical applications were compromised, and efforts were made to address the cyber assault on the affected applications [Article 72452]. (b) The software failure incident was not permanent, as there were ongoing efforts to address the issues and restore the affected systems.
Behaviour crash, omission, value, other (a) crash: - Article 72452 mentions a cyber assault on city software in Atlanta that caused more than a third of the software programs to be thrown offline or partially disabled, affecting core city services like police and courts. (b) omission: - Article 131120 reports a cyber-attack on systems used by the Oxford Health NHS foundation trust, targeting systems for referring patients for care, dispatching ambulances, appointment bookings, triage, emergency prescriptions, safety alerts, and the finance system. (c) timing: - Article 131126 describes a significant computer system outage affecting services like referring patients for care, ambulances dispatch, appointment bookings, and emergency prescriptions, causing delays due to a cyber-attack. (d) value: - Article 106041 discusses a cyber-attack on British Airways due to inadequate security measures, leading to a severe data breach that was not detected for more than two months, causing financial harm to a significant number of people. (e) byzantine: - No specific mention of a byzantine behavior in the provided articles. (f) other: - Article 59945 mentions the WannaCry malware affecting Russian banks, with infections hitting PCs belonging to employees or non-critical systems, indicating a different type of impact compared to the other options.

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence death, harm, delay, theoretical_consequence (a) death: People lost their lives due to the software failure - Ransomware hacks have caused major healthcare disruptions, including delayed chemotherapy treatments and ambulances being diverted from a San Diego emergency room after computer systems were frozen. In 2021, a lawsuit filed by the mother of a baby who died in Alabama alleged the first “death by ransomware”, blaming a 2019 hack of a hospital for fatal brain damage of the newborn after heart rate monitors failed. The possibly devastating consequences for medical facilities may be one of the reasons hackers have identified them as a high-profile target. [Article 130039] (b) harm: People were physically harmed due to the software failure - Ransomware hacks have caused major healthcare disruptions, including delayed chemotherapy treatments and ambulances being diverted from a San Diego emergency room after computer systems were frozen. In 2021, a lawsuit filed by the mother of a baby who died in Alabama alleged the first “death by ransomware”, blaming a 2019 hack of a hospital for fatal brain damage of the newborn after heart rate monitors failed. The possibly devastating consequences for medical facilities may be one of the reasons hackers have identified them as a high-profile target. [Article 130039] (e) delay: People had to postpone an activity due to the software failure - In May last year, malicious software locked up thousands of computers all over the world. The NHS became the victim of a cyber attack and thousands of operations were cancelled. Nissan’s plant in Sunderland was also targeted. [Article 71457]
Domain information, health (a) The failed system was related to the industry of information, specifically in the context of digital distribution and cybersecurity. The incident involved a cyber attack on Sony's PlayStation Network (PSN) and Sony Online Entertainment, leading to the compromise of consumer data [5165, 5169]. (b) There is no specific mention of the transportation industry in the provided articles. (c) There is no specific mention of the natural resources industry in the provided articles. (d) There is no specific mention of the sales industry in the provided articles. (e) There is no specific mention of the construction industry in the provided articles. (f) There is no specific mention of the manufacturing industry in the provided articles. (g) There is no specific mention of the utilities industry in the provided articles. (h) There is no specific mention of the finance industry in the provided articles. (i) There is no specific mention of the knowledge industry in the provided articles. (j) The failed system was related to the health industry. The articles discuss a cyber attack on the Health Service Executive (HSE) in Ireland, which forced the shutdown of its entire information technology system, impacting hospitals and health services [114616, 115595]. (k) There is no specific mention of the entertainment industry in the provided articles. (l) There is no specific mention of the government industry in the provided articles. (m) The failed system was also related to the industry of cybersecurity services, as it involved a cyber attack on Sony's PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity in the digital economy [5165].

Sources

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