Million people lose most personal information because hackers broke at Sony. The group collects a lot of unnecessary data.
Who is too far from the window is rejected, get out, too. This is the electronics giant Sony is going on. 77 million customers have to fear for personal data, which they had confided in assuming the company, where they were kept safe: Name, e-mail address, birth date, logins and passwords to the security question for the password, the company’s profile with purchase history and billing address, possibly the credit card number. Only thing missing is the identity card number and PIN of the debit card.
How could this happen? The technical vulnerabilities that the hackers have access to this information gives are not yet known. In this respect, yet no one can say exactly what mistakes Sony has made. Apparently, the Group controls the majority of its products but not enough that is associated with data processing.
Based on the classic hardware, the game console has, Sony over the years developed a comprehensive online world, the Play station Network. Here, users can play together, chat, watch movies and buy various online components and features.
For the company, which is an important business area? For brackets can crack it (Sony is just two more to take action against hackers), games can be seen on pirate silver discs. This is much more difficult with online offers. But they bind the user to the product. From the single buyer of the Play station is a permanent customer.
Only one may ask whether in fact the amount of data needed to make this customer loyalty. The German data protection law contains an important principle, the data economy. Accordingly, only so much data is collected, how the application is essential. This applies to state governments, but it could also be guidance for companies.
Does one name to know date of birth, address and e-mail address of a customer? No, the purchase of a technical device is sufficient cash in the store, too, and participating in many other social media services do not require this information also. Why should it be different for Sony?
Must a business credit card number from a customer and its own authentication data store? No, there have long been providers (such as MasterCard or Visa) that this part of an online business such as through a separate authentication method using special security codes from a.
The answer to the question of what Sony has done wrong is, therefore: The Company collected too much data. Because no one who hoards in this amount of data they can provide reliable protection, say experts.
Why do they do it anyway? Because they follow the widespread assumption that is the best of doing business the customer knows very much about his. Only a few customers now rehearse the uprising against such business practices.