Sony shuts down PlayStation network due to hacking attack

                According to The Wall Street Journal, Sony decided to indefinitely shut down its Playstation Network due to a recent hacking attack that ranks among one of the biggest data breaches in history.

       Over 77 million people use the company's online game services, which allow features such as battling against one another in different games, chatting online, and watching streamed movies online.

       The shutdown has left users frustrated, but Sony announced on Monday, April 25, that there is more to worry about. The hacker may have obtained users' personal information including names, birthdays, and credit card numbers.

       "I don't use the service that much, but I can definitely see how it is annoying," said junior communications major Brian Davis. "I would be more concerned with my personal information being stolen than playing a video game though."

       The Wall Street Journal said that some of the outraged users are threatening to switch services and join Microsoft's Xbox Live service, which offers largely the same services as the Playstation Network.

       "It would be a little ridiculous to go out and spend more money on a completely new system," said junior kinesiology major Alyssa Faigle. "Users need to give Sony some time to rebuild the security of the system and gain their trust back. The same thing could happen at Microsoft, too."