Sony mulling reward for information on PlayStation hackers

Still in the process of recovering from the shock after a pair of attacks compromised as many as 100 million accounts,  Japanese electronics giant Sony is mulling offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the attackers, according to people familiar with the matter.

According to industry sources, though a final decision on whether it would offer a reward has yet to be taken, and the company may not even consider it at all, the option is on the table. They say the fact that Sony is considering a reward is an indication of how serious it is about getting to the person or people who carried out the attacks that have forced its gaming services offline for nearly two weeks.

If the electronics giant does decide to offer a reward, it would do so in cooperation with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the relevant law enforcement agencies in other countries. The discussions around the pros and cons of offering a reward are not complete and would have to be cleared by senior Sony executives in Tokyo, who have held back their sanction, according to sources. The reward is said to be among several options Sony is discussing with law enforcement to in a bid to pick up leads on the identity of the attackers.

Meanwhile, Sony, has denied it had been using outdated versions of web server software and had not been using a firewall on its servers. The denial came in response to assertions to the effect from
security expert Gene Spafford during a Congressional hearing Thursday. Sony's senior director, Corporate Communications and Social Media, Patrick Seybold said the company was using updated software and had "multiple security measures in place."

The full statement from Seybold read, "The previous network for Sony Network Entertainment International and Sony Online Entertainment used servers that were patched and updated recently, and had multiple security measures in place, including firewalls."
The statement is expected to be published on Sony's PlayStation blog.

Further, in a letter, Sony president Kaz Hirai sent to Connecticut senator Richard Blumenthal, he detailed the timeline of the attack and Sony's response to it. The letter contains as  yet undisclosed details about the attack and the hardware Sony uses to run its gaming services.