PSN being rebuilt

[Sly Reflex]

One technique that I'm gonna use is to use one password phrase but then tag on something to do with the site I'm on. Like "passw0rd4ebay", "passw0rd4youtube" etc.

I do this with random generated codes or abbreviation of quotes from films or books or whatever.

[Craymen Edge]

I often use patterns on the keyboard, bookended by a couple of numbers or extra characters.

e.g. '567ujm' is 3 in a row from the numbers, followed by 3 keys down from the 7. Bookend that with some extra numbers or characters which you might use for multiple passwords = '66#567ujm*11'

I don't use this one for anything

[DANGERMAN]

the whole psn thing reminds me of Watchmen. The 'bad guy' assumes he's never going to get caught so practically leaves the password on a post-it note stuck to the monitor

[retroed]

That's quite a nifty method, Craymen.

I just use this random password generator. I use 8 characters total, all lower case. I go for ones with 6 letters and 2 numbers. Not useful for memorising lots, though.

[retroed]

No, because they don't know which password I took, or which website it's for.

[Hendo]

Apparently it's back up now?

However this says otherwise - http://ispsnstilldown.com/

[stoobie]

My PS3 is downloading the update. We will see how much farther it gets..

[Craymen Edge]

The US PSN came up hours ago, not even a flicker anywhere else.

[stoobie]

Undergoing maintenance

[DANGERMAN]

you should try again stoob

[Craymen Edge]

It's back up. I linked my PSN and Steam accounts via Portal 2, and activated the PC copy of the game in Steam.

Err... I guess that's me done then. Back to business as usual (i.e. ingoring PSN).

[DANGERMAN]

yeah I was on another forum where everyone was getting hyped because psn was back up. I signed in with my UK account, then my US account, then failed to activate my 2 asian ones, so loaded up Fist of the North Star.

Maybe we should organise some sort of psn game, but I don't think there's much enough of us have

[retroed]

According to GAF, this was posted on the UK/EU PlayStation Blog, although the link isn't working now, and I can't see anything about it on the blog.

Now that certain PSN services have been restored and you’re once again enjoying online gaming, it seems a good time to confirm what is being offered as part of the Welcome Back programme.

Once we restore PlayStation Store, which will be just a little while longer, you will have the opportunity to claim your Welcome Back gifts. Please note that the Welcome Back programme is only available for those countries with access to PlayStation Store*.

All existing PlayStation Network members will be able to access the following from PlayStation Store*:

Two PS3 games from the following list:

* LittleBigPlanet

* Infamous*

* Wipeout HD/Fury

* Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty

* Dead Nation*

For those with PSP accounts, you will also be eligible to download two PSP games from the following list:

* LittleBigPlanet PSP

* ModNation PSP

* Pursuit Force

* Killzone Liberation*

- 30 days free PlayStation Plus membership for non PS Plus subscribers*

- Existing PlayStation Plus subscribers will be given 60 days free subscription.

- For existing Music Unlimited subscribers, you will be given 30 days free subscription.

- We are working on a Welcome Back offer in PlayStation Home and will share that when it is confirmed.

I would like to thank all of the developers and publishers involved in this programme for their support in making this happen. We certainly couldn’t have done it without you.

You will be able to access this content once PlayStation Store comes back online and we are doing everything we can to make that happen as soon as possible.

Thank you for your support and keep checking back on the blog for more information.

1. For eligibility for the welcome back programme consumers must be an account holder on 20 April 2011. Specific details about these offers and eligibility requirements will be posted as the services go live. All existing PSN registrants have 30 days from when the welcome back programme goes live to redeem their content.

2. For the German market, InFamous and Dead Nation will be replace with Super Stardust HD and Hustle Kings in the selection of PS3 games.

3. For the German market, Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation will be replaced with Everybody’s Golf 2 and Buzz Junior Jungle Party in the selection of PSP games. Killzone Liberation will not offer online gameplay functionality.

4. Access to the 30 days free PS Plus subscription is only available for those countries where PS Plus is offered. You will have access to the PS Plus content planned for May for 30 days. Access to the free games and exclusive features finishes at the end of the 30-day subscription period. Anything you buy with exclusive discounts, dynamic themes and premium avatars are yours to keep forever.

[Manicm]

Ive got a psp and ps3 account, both separate, so i could download 4 games? that would be great! especially as im not a big PSN user to start with.

[retroed]

The way it's worded, it sounds like those with PS3 and PSP can have four games total. I have LBP on PSP, and am not really interested in the other three on offer. I'll still grab a couple though, I'm not one to pass on free stuff. PS3 wise, I'll probably take inFamous again, and either WipEout or Ratchet & Clank.

[DANGERMAN]

yeah, Infamous and Wipeout for me, and Dead Nation and R&C if I can use my US account.

Hopefully Asia gets some different games, but if not 2/4 free games, plus whatever PS+ has to offer for free should keep me going for a while

[DANGERMAN]

assuming you had it set to auto sign you in, just go to the sign in bit on the network tab, it's try to log you in, then have a blue screen with some stuff on it. X your way through that and it'll ask you for a password, you should be ok from there.

If you don't have it set to auto sign in, and you dont remember your password, then it sends an email to the registered email address (eventually)

[Craymen Edge]

Hmmm. I already own 2 of those PS3 games, and don't like Wipeout... So that leaves Ratchet & Clank and Dead Nation.

I've never played a Ratchet and Clank before, and opinion on Dead Nation seems to be middling.

[spatular]

good selection of free games to be fair, i have all the ps3 ones i'd want already though, and have no free space on the hdd anyway, so hope i can get some of the psp ones, not sure my psp is signed up to psn though.

wipeout is pretty amazing, i'm not too keen on the racing with weapons but for the timetrials and the graphics, it's like WOW, some of the other modes are pretty good fun too. although like Craymen if you don't like previous ones it's probably not going to change your mind.

[Sly Reflex]

http://uk.kotaku.com/5803050/sony-playstation-network-password-reset-page-exploited-customer-accounts-potentially-compromised

According to reports on Nyleveia.com, Eurogamer, and NeoGAF, Sony's PlayStation Network password reset system-the one just put in place after the PSN hack-has been compromised, allowing hackers to change a PSN password if they know your email and date of birth. Exactly the sort of information that was released in the original hack.

Sony has taken the password reset system offline. Kotaku has reached out to Sony for comment.

Update 1: The good news (as pointed out by NeoGAF's "Metalmurphy") is that if your account was compromised, you should have gotten an email from PSN that says your password has been reset.

Update 2: An official community moderator on the EU PlayStation forums notes the following services are offline:

PlayStation.com

PlayStation forums

PlayStation Blog

Qriocity.com

Music Unlimited via the web client

All PlayStation game title websites

Update 3: This is the purported exploit as provided to Kotaku. As PlayStation services are now offline, this exploit is no longer able to be executed:

The prodecure is as follows:

1) Navigate to : https://store.playstation.com/accounts/reset/resetPassword.action?token (this is normally, via email, https://store.playstation.com/accounts/reset/resetPassword.action?token=YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY with the y's being a unique token) - do not enter the code at this point.

2) Open a new tab in firefox, and go to fr.playstation.com (other pages will work too most likely), and click Login (Connexion)

3) Click Recover password

4) Enter the email and date of birth of the target account

5) Click continue, then on the confirmation page, click "Reset using E-mail"

6) Switch back to the original tab, and enter the code, then click continue

7) You will now be asked to enter a new password for the target account

Update 4: According to Sony's PlayStation blog, "Contrary to some reports, there was no hack involved. In the process of resetting of passwords there was a URL exploit that we have subsequently fixed."

Will Sony ever escape this?