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When lulz-seeking hackers aren't busy reincarnating Tupac on PBS and taking down government websites worldwide, they always seem to turn their attention to videogame companies. We're not quite sure what the grudge is, but Sony, Nintendo, Minecraft, Bethesda, Sega, BioWare and scads of other targets have been hacked in one way or another. Pretty much the only major company unaffected thus far has been Microsoft. In fact, the company's even profited from the rash of attacks as gamers bailed the PlayStation in droves. So what does Microsoft think of all the recent troubles from its seat on the sidelines?
"It’s bad for the industry that this has happened to Sony. It’s very, very bad," Dennis Durkin, COO and CFO of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, told IndustryGamers. "It’s very damaging." The Microsoft bigwig spoke carefully and avoided giving any impression of rivalry-inspired glee at Sony's security problems.
Eroded confidence in Sony is eroded confidence in all online-based businesses, Durkin suggested, and Microsoft's cards are on the cloud-computing table. A Microsoft VP recently told the Seattle Times that Microsoft sees the Xbox Live platform evolving into an iTunes-type service. If companies want consumers to migrate to the cloud in droves, they need to make the virtual environment feel secure. But don't put it all on the shoulders of the corporations; Durkin says that consumers also need to step up to the plate and stop using the same passwords over and over again to try and minimize damages in case a system is hacked.
"Like in society, you can’t always protect everything," Durkin admitted. "There are people who are going to want to disrupt things and you can't always perfectly protect against every scenario, but we’re going to make sure we do everything to we can to be sure we’re as secure as we possibly can be."
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bling581
June 24, 2011 at 9:59am
No matter how hard they try there will always be hackers out there smarter than they are. Companies would have to constantly be purchasing the latest software and hardware to keep the best security against hackers and we all know how long it takes for the average company to update tech.
frizzly
June 23, 2011 at 11:12pm
is anyone else out there at all curious that microsoft, one of the biggest companies, has not been hacked. hmm.. strange...I cant be the only one to wonder why...
QUINTIX256
June 23, 2011 at 5:28pm
I am all for not using one password everywhere, but I have no intention of juggling a plethora of distinct logins. I can probably think of 2 or 3 services which I have forgoten my login info for, because I have not logged in in a while, and they aren't services that need to be watched like a toddler.
acidic
June 23, 2011 at 1:32pm
i just checked and ALOT of the xbox live features are unavailable right now. you can still chat and play games but the marketplace is down. maybe they should have kept their mouths shut. hopefully this isnt the case though
edit #3: the marketplace is back up now. it was down for just a few minutes it seems like a couple of weeks ago
Marthian
June 23, 2011 at 11:37am
itunes... you mean that evil program/bloatware/software that never works?
Anyways, I bet secretly, Microsoft's glad about all this. after all, I don't really think it would be a good idea to hack Microsoft...
praetor_alpha
June 23, 2011 at 11:36am
If companies want consumers to migrate to the cloud in droves, they need to make the virtual environment feel secure.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH!! An environment's feeling is only skin deep. It needs to be secure, not feel secure. If it's not actually secure, we're back at square zero.
Maktaka
June 23, 2011 at 11:57am
It doesn't matter if the program is ACTUALLY secure to the consumer, if it doesn't FEEL secure they won't pay for it. That's the point.
But no, your empty rage is good too.
tornato7
June 23, 2011 at 11:54am
I agree. This is why lulzsec is doing us a favor. They are 'laughing at our security' and making us more cautious about things we do online and making companies actually secure their stuff.
