Sony may face global legal action after security breach

SONY could face legal action across the globe after it delayed disclosing a security breach of its popular PlayStation Network, infuriating gamers and sending the firm’s shares down nearly 5% yesterday.

Sony shut down the network on April 19 after discovering the breach, one of the biggest online data infiltrations ever. But it was not until Tuesday that the company said the system had been hacked and that users’ data could have been stolen.

In the US, several members of Congress seized on the breach, in which hackers stole names, addresses and, possibly, credit card details from 77 million users. One law firm filed a lawsuit in California on behalf of consumers.