Sony releases a mandatory firmware update

Sony released a mandatory firmware update today. This is just the "first phase" of relaunching the PSN. The update begin in the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Middle East, with a full restoration of all online services expected by the end of May, as originally planned by Sony. As a precaution the user will need to change their password upon logging in. Sony has said it will provide its customers with free identity-theft services for a year, including a $1 million insurance policy.

Sony says the attack came from Amazon's EC2 Cloud Hosting

Sony is pointing fingers at Amazon's EC2 Cloud Hosting service. Sony claims that hackers took advantage of Amazon's hosting service to launch a massive attack on their servers. A German researcher said that all it would cost to launch an attack using EC2 is "$1.68 and twenty minutes of time". According to sources, the hackers posed as a regular business and rented a server from Amazon, no one knows exactly how the hackers launched their assault. A side note of information, Sony reported an increase in sales of their PS3 unit by 13% during April; while the servers were down. Lastly Sony says they don't have a set date for when the PSN will be back up

Sony publicly addresses the hacking

Sony's VP Kaz Hirai held a press conference concerning the attack on it's servers by an unknown party. Sony does not know if any credit cards were stolen however, they do know credit card information was revealed. Sony will be compensating all PSN users with 30 days of PS Plus free, Qriocity and Music Unlimited, as well as a free software gift. Sony had reportedly moved their data center and hired a security expert to help discover the source of the vulnerability. The PSN should be back up within a month assuming all goes well with the new data center.