Story updated 5-June-2011: Information on the SonyPictures.RU attack can be found at the end of the post.
By my count this is unlucky hack number 13 for Sony. A Lebanese hacker known as Idahc dumped another user database at Sony Europe containing approximately 120 usernames, passwords (plain text), mobile phone numbers, work emails and website addresses.
The attacker claims that he used standard SQL injection techniques to acquire the database. I think it is fair to say it appears that Sony has not learned anything from the previous 12 attacks.
SQL injection flaw? Check. Plain text passwords? Check. People’s personally identifiable information totally unprotected? Check.
Idahc is the same attacker who targeted the Canadian Sony Ericsson site in May, 2011. In his note on pastebin he states: “I was Bored and I play the game of the year : ‘hacker vs Sony’.” He posted the link to pastebin with the simple note “Sony Hacked: pastebin.com/OMITTED lol.”
If you are a database administrator (especially a Sony one) and want to avoid your sensitive data from ending up in the headlines I recommend you actually test your web applications for SQL vulnerabilities.
A great resource with detailed information on how to protect against SQL injection attacks is available at codeproject.com.
You can also download our free technical paper Securing Websites.
Update: In addition to the attack detailed above, the hacking group known as LulzSec has compromised SonyPictures.RU through another SQL injection flaw. No personal information was disclosed in the attack; it appears to have been designed just to continue to point out security flaws in Sony’s infrastructure to create PR problems for the media giant. In the note, LulzSec left a message: “In Soviet Russia, SQL injects you…”
