By Tiernan Ray
Two days after announcing criminals may have stolen Sony’s (SNE) customers’ names, addresses, phone numbers and bank account information, the company’s CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, issued an explanation on the company’s Web site last night.
Addressing the break-in of the company’s online gaming network last month, and the subsequent shut-down of that network, Stringer said in his letter that the company was going to offer a month of free PlayStation network membership, once service is restored. Teams are working around the clock under the direction of the company’s consumer products chief, Kazuo Hirai, he said, to restore access.
Stringer responded to claims the company was slow to notify customers of what happened, explaining that the company shut down the network “as soon as we discovered the potential scope of the intrusion,” and said Sony had hired “some of the best technical experts in the field to determine what happened.”
Stringer said there was no confirmation yet that sensitive customer data had actually been obtained by the criminals.
“In the coming days, we will restore service to the networks and welcome you back to the fun,” said Stringer.
