Is Sony getting a bad rap on its data breach?

Sony told clients that their personal information had been stolen in a breach of its PlayStation Network on April 26, about a week afterwards figuring out that it had been hit by hackers. During that may not be quick enough for many gamers -- already vitriolic because their online gaming services had been yanked -- it's to tell the truth a pretty quick notification, especially for a breach of this magnitude, according to many data breach and security experts.

In late April, it seemed that Sony could do nothing right. Criticized for dragging its heels, the company published information about the breach previously it fully realized how deeply it had been compromised. It at that time had to undergo a series of embarrassing corrections. It discovered that a second network, Sony Online Entertainment, had as well been hacked, and then and there had to admit that bank card numbers had truly been stolen, contrary to its previously assessment.

The direction that we're going

"This is the direction that we're going," said Pete Schlampp, vice president of product management with Solera Networks, a seller of network security tools. "The public's expectation is to be notified right away."

Robert McMillan covers computer security and general innovation breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com

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