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Sony hires former Homeland Security officer in wake of Playstation data breach

Things seem to be getting back on track with Sony’s Playstation 3 empire in the wake of this year’s catastrophic data breach, and now the company is taking some interesting steps to prevent such an incident from happening again.

According to Reuters, Sony Corp has hired former U.S. Department of Homeland Security officer Philip Reitinger, who previously served as director of the U.S. National Cyber Security Center. Reitinger will become the company’s new chief information security officer —- a position created in the aftermath of a cyber attack that released information from 100 million Playstation Network user accounts.

“Certainly the network issue was a catalyst for the appointment,” stated a Sony spokesman. “We are looking to bolster our network security even further.”

While the value of Sony shares has fallen dramatically since the attack was revealed in April, Sony CEO Howard Stringer recently reported that the Playstation Network has added more than three million new subscribers since the gaming service came back online.

Last month, Sony announced plans to cut $50 from the price of its Playstation 3 consoles, and with the upcoming release of Playstation-exclusive Resistance 3 receiving positive early reviews, the digital giant could indeed be turning the corner.

Rick Marshall
A veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering local and national news, arts and entertainment, and…
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