Senator: Sony 'Could Serve As A Model' For Cybercrime Victims

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) says Sony's response to the recent data breach and service disruption on PSN and other Sony networks "could serve as a model for other companies facing similar criminal hacking." In a statement, Blumenthal praised Sony's promised offering of identity theft protection services to those involved as a "strong first step toward protecting millions of consumers whose personal and financial information has been compromised." "While I continue to believe that Sony should have warned users earlier, I am pleased they are providing protective measures including an insurance policy to cover identity theft harms to consumers within a 12-month window -- but I would hope Sony would extend coverage over a longer time on a case-by-case basis if necessary," he continued. The Senator also said Sony's network breach is part of the larger trend of cybercrime and "a reminder that our laws and data security resources must keep pace with advancing technology." Blumenthal, along with the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, was among those demanding answers from Sony in the wake of the breach, and commended the company for its detailed response to congressional questioning. Many PSN customers and observers were upset that Sony waited nearly a week after first learning of the attack on PSN before first alerting users they were at risk. Sony said it needed that time to fully determine the extent of the data breach, and that releasing information prematurely "could cause confusion and lead [users] to take unnecessary actions if the information was not fully corroborated by forensic evidence."