Pippa Middleton Photos Dominate - Top News Update

Pippa Middleton photos have again dominated the HOTheadlines top news sections. Earlier reports of racy images of Pippa drew a massive surge of searches on the internet and the HOTheadlines blog saw its biggest day yet. Some of these images have drawn official complaints from the Middleton family and will likely be removed from the internet before too long. Reports suggest that Pippa could make a lot of money from her new found fame but that if any further racy images emerge it could be very damaging.

The recent outage of the Sony Playstation Network had a short stay at the top of the headlines and saw a massive increase in the number of Playstation users browsing our site. As the Playstation Network has now returned this topic has swiftly left the headlines.

Another chart topper was the recent alignment of the planets in the Australian sky and is still getting traffic days after the event.

A fast mover this week has been the news of the Arnold Schwarzenegger affair and love child. Apparently the former Governor of California has fathered a child to a member of his staff and the news has come shortly after he announced the split from his wife.

Sony Playstation Network is back online

The Sony Playstation Network is back online. Early reports on Twitter suggest that the Sony Playstation Network is back online for some users around the world. After a hacker breached the security of the Sony Playstation Network some weeks ago the Playstation Network has been offline for literally millions of users around the world. Just today an update to the Playstation 3 system Software was released and installation of the update is mandatory. Some users after installing the software update were then able to get back online. Other users are still in areas that have no service for the Playstation Network. The Network will now be turned back on in stages around the world although the exact time line is still not being advised by Sony. In preparation for the go live HOTheadlines suggests users to install the updated system software.

Sony Playstation Network Australia Back Online - Update 2

Sony releases system software update in preparation for go live. The Sony Playstation Network in Australia is set to go live at any time now. Reports and tweets on twitter confirm that some users around the world are back online and once again gaming. There is no concrete news about exactly when the Australian Network will go live again but the latest blog post on the official Sony Playstation blog suggests it will be very soon. Sony is requesting that all users update their Playstation 3 system software to the latest release of V3.61. Sony advises that this update is mandatory and users may not be able to get back online until their system has been updated to the latest software version.

HOTheadlines HOT tip

In preparation for getting back online the HOTheadlines HOT tip is to update your Playstation 3 system software so you will be ready to pounce when the Network does go live again.

The latest blog from Sony:

We have been working on a new PS3 system software update that requires all PSN users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. The update (v3.61) is mandatory and is available now.

If using a PS3, your password can only be changed on your own PS3 (or a PS3 on which your PSN account was activated), as an added layer of security. If you have never downloaded any content using your account on the system, an email will be sent to the registered sign-in ID (email address) associated with your account when you first attempt to sign-in to PSN. This e-mail will contain a link that will enable you to change your password. In this email, click on the link and follow the instructions to change your password. Once you have changed your password you can sign-in to your account using your new password.

We strongly recommend that all PSN account holders with PS3s update their systems to prepare for when PlayStation Network is back online. The release of this update is a critical step as we work to make PlayStation Network significantly more secure. Thank you for your continued support and patience. Source:http://blog.eu.playstation.com/

Sony Playstation Network Australia Restoration Update

The feedback from Sony has gotten less and less as the down time of the Playstation Network continues. The latest blog post on the official Playstation states the following: "I know you all want to know exactly when the services will be restored. At this time, I can’t give you an exact date, as it will likely be at least a few more days. We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work through this process."

For those of you that don't know, the Sony Playstation Network or PSN for short is a network provided by Sony so that Playstation owners can play their games online and play against people in other places around the country or indeed the world. What many people may not know about the Sony Playstation Network is that it is provided free of charge to Playstation owners. Now Sony is in the position that no one is paying to use their service so they are not breaching any terms of service and there is zero legal liability. This is a pretty nice place for Sony to be and is most likely why the service is free of charge in the first place. Sony's lawyers most likely advised it would cause too much of a liability if something like this hack ever occurred. Sony will most likely lose a few customers from this outage and that would also have been factored in. Now what I have been hearing from HOTheadlines readers is that a lot of PSN users are paying for internet access purely for the use of the Playstation Network. With the Network offline the cost of the internet access would be hurting these users but Sony would still be shielded from this cost.

If I were indirectly paying for the use of the PSN such as described earlier then I would expect more than two lines of information about what is happening during a service outage. Many people have also been disappointed by the communication provided by Sony and Sony should realise the impact this will have on their company.

Are you affected by the PSN outage? Have your say.

Playstation Network Australia not online - delayed

The Playstation Network is still offline in Australia and most of the world. It seems the earlier forecasts by Sony of having the network available again within a week have not been realised. Sony has been paying a lot of attention to the security of the network and earlier measures of the extent of the earlier intrusion were not fully understood until recently.

The latest press release by Sony is pretty clear that the security of the network and customers data is the most important lesson to be learned form this attack and the priority of the changes required to the network. There is no further information about when the network is expected to go live again but when it does it will be a much more secure environment.

An interesting piece of information about the outage of the Playstation network is that since the network has been offline HOTheadlines, and I am sure most of the internet, has seen a one thousand percent increase in the number of Sony Playstations browsing our site. It has been great having you here and I hope you choose to return soon.

Comments received from HOTheadlines readers after the earlier update show that they are prepared to drop Sony altogether and move to the Xbox live platform. Other comments are much more realistic and show that the users understand that Sony is doing all they can to get this problem sorted out once and for all.

Here are some of the comments received on HOTheadlines:

Tyler wrote: @jason calm down you nob, sony are doing everything they can, its not their fault. I think its funny how all these people are whining and going to XBL because they have no life so they cant wait a couple of weeks to come back online, your pathetic get outside once and awhile. I for one am 100% sony supporter for life, im never going back to xbox cause their shit. take your time sony and ignore these desperate no lifers who cant live without video games.

Jason wrote: Ive had ENOUGH of these delays ( excuse after excuse )and not sticking to dates..... it just goes on and on Go to hell sony....Im off to xbox live. You just LOST another person....

The Sony press release is as follows:

On 7 May 2011, Nick Caplin, head of communications at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, posted the following update on PlayStation.Blog

"As you may know, we've begun the process of restoring the service through internal testing of the new system. We're still working to confirm the security of the network infrastructure, as well as working with a variety of outside entities to confirm with them of the security of the system. Verifying the system security is vital for the process of restoration. Additional comprehensive system checks and testing are still required, and we must complete that process before bringing the systems online.

"As you've heard us say, our utmost priorities are the security of the network and ensuring your data is safe. We won't restore the services until we can test the system's strength in these respects.

"When we held the press conference in Japan last week, based on what we knew, we expected to have the services online within a week. We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system. We know many of you are wanting to play games online, chat with your friends and enjoy all of the services PlayStation Network and Qriocity services have to offer, and trust me when I say we're doing everything we can to make it happen. We will update you with more information as soon as we have it. We apologize for the delay and inconvenience of this network outage."

Sony PlayStation Network Australia coming back online soon.

It seems Australian Sony PlayStation Network users are still waiting to get back online to the PlayStation Network. Following is the latest official press release from Sony PlayStation Networks Japan Headquarters. So it looks like the long break will soon be over and the Australian Network will be back online soon. HOTheadlines readers have expressed their concerns about this outage and what it means to them. Here are some of the comments:

baddog36 wrote: Although im trying to stick this out with sony im regretting the possibility of having to switch to xbox live sony its been two wks ive built homes that didnt take as long you really dropped the ball on this one

Rafael wrote: Just for the record the play station network has been down for me an people i know since april 20, not april 24 like it says in this article so thats 10 days down for me not 6, not to mention im a play station plus subscriber an that this is my 4th ps3, between yellow light of death an a wide array of other issues. Its always the same story with sony they can't help me over phone "system needs to come in for repair" which can cost between 100 an 150 us dollars. so this message is to sony if you don't want to get hacked again i would suggests you start giving a dam about your customers they seem to have adopted the mentality that because their online gaming is free they don't owe us a dam thing when things go wrong which is wrong. while its true that their online gaming is free but alot of the stuff connected to ps3 isn't ( play station plus, Dc universe online ) just to name some not to mention INTERNET access is not FREE so i currently am paying 40-50 bucks a month to use facebook and watch movies thats B S

kenneth wrote: im happy sonys finally getting to the bottom of all this i think the compensation idea is a good gesture im an avid gamer and looking foward to continuing my support for sony thx sony and happy gaming baddog36

Sony Press Release:


On 1 May 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI, the company) announced they will shortly begin a phased restoration by region of PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, beginning with gaming, music and video services to be turned on.

The company also announced both a series of immediate steps to enhance security across the network and a new customer appreciation programme to thank its customers for their patience and loyalty.

Following a criminal cyber attack on the company's data centre located in San Diego, California, USA, SNEI quickly turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, engaged multiple expert information security firms over the course of several days, and conducted an extensive audit of the system.

Since then, the company has implemented a variety of new security measures to provide greater protection of personal information. SNEI and its third party experts have conducted extensive tests to verify the security strength of PlayStation Network and Qriocity services.

With these measures in place, SCE and SNEI plan to start a phased roll-out by region of the services shortly. The initial phase of the roll-out will include, but is not limited to, the following:

Restoration of online gameplay across PlayStation 3 and PSP systems, including titles requiring online verification and downloaded games.
Access to Q Music Unlimited for PS3/PSP for existing subscribers.
Access to account management and password reset.
Access to download unexpired movie rentals on PS3, PSP and Media Go.
PlayStation Home.
Friends List.
Chat functionality.
Working closely with several outside security firms, the company has implemented significant security measures to further detect unauthorized activity and provide consumers with greater protection of their personal information.

The company is also creating the position of Chief Information Security Officer, directly reporting to Shinji Hasejima, Chief Information Officer of Sony Corporation, to add a new position of expertise in and accountability for customer data protection, and to supplement existing information security personnel.

The new security measures implemented include, but are not limited to, the following:

Added automated software monitoring and configuration management to help defend against new attacks.
Enhanced levels of data protection and encryption.
Enhanced ability to detect software intrusions within the network, unauthorized access and unusual activity patterns.
Implementation of additional firewalls.
The company also expedited an already planned move of the system to a new data centre in a different location that has been under construction and development for several months.

In addition, PS3 will have a forced system software update that will require all registered PlayStation Network users to change their account passwords before being able to sign into the service. As an added layer of security, that password can only be changed on the same PS3 in which that account was activated, or through validated email confirmation, a critical step to help further protect customer data.

The company is conducting a thorough and ongoing investigation and working with law enforcement to track down and prosecute those responsible for the illegal intrusion.

"This criminal act against our network had a significant impact not only on our consumers, but our entire industry," said Kazuo Hirai, Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation. "These illegal attacks obviously highlight the widespread problem with cyber security. We take the security of our consumers' information very seriously and are committed to helping our consumers protect their personal data. In addition, the organization has worked around the clock to bring these services back online, and are doing so only after we had verified increased levels of security across our networks. Our global audience of PlayStation Network and Qriocity consumers was disrupted. We have learned lessons along the way about the valued relationship with our consumers, and to that end, we will be launching a customer appreciation programme for registered consumers as a way of expressing our gratitude for their loyalty during this network downtime, as we work even harder to restore and regain their trust in us and our services."

Complimentary Offering and "Welcome Back" Appreciation Programme

While there is no evidence at this time that credit card data was taken, the company is committed to helping its customers protect their personal data and will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programmes. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in each region.

The company will also roll out the PlayStation Network and Qriocity "Welcome Back" programme, to be offered worldwide, which will be tailored to specific markets to provide our consumers with a selection of service options and premium content as an expression of the company's appreciation for their patience, support and continued loyalty.

Central components of the "Welcome Back" programme will include:

Each territory will be offering selected PlayStation entertainment content for free download. Specific details of this content will be announced in each region soon.
All existing PlayStation Network customers will be provided with 30 days free membership in the PlayStation Plus premium service. Current members of PlayStation Plus will receive 30 days free service.
Q Music Unlimited subscribers (in countries where the service is available) will receive 30 days free service.
Additional "Welcome Back" entertainment and service offerings will be rolled out over the coming weeks as the company returns the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services to the quality standard users have grown to enjoy and strive to exceed those exceptions.

SNEI will continue to reinforce and verify security for transactions before resuming the PlayStation Store and other Qriocity operations, scheduled for this month.

For more information about the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services intrusion and restoration, keep an eye on PlayStation.Blog at blog.au.playstation.com, twitter.com/PlayStationEU and au.playstation.com for the latest updates.