Sega’s Database Hit by Cyber attack

Sega Corp. said an intruder stole the personal information of nearly 1.3 million users of its online service from a company database in the latest cyber attack to hit the videogame industry.

Source: Source: WSJ - Daisuke Wakabayashi | Published on June 20, 2011

Sega said the names, birthdays, e-mail addresses and encrypted passwords registered with users of SegaPass, a newsletter and online game service operated by its European subsidiary, were accessed without permission. Sega, known for its Sonic the Hedgehog game character, issued a statement on its Japanese website.

The company, a unit of video game and pachinko manufacturer Sega Sammy Holdings Inc., also said it doesn't store credit card information of its customers, because it relies on external providers to handle payment on the service.

The breach at Sega represents the latest example in a spate of online attacks against videogame companies. Sony Corp. said an attack on its PlayStation Network and another of its online videogame services resulted in the theft of personal information from more than 100 million registered accounts.

Nintendo Co., Square Enix Holdings Co. and Epic Games Inc. have also been targeted in recent cyberattacks.

Sega said it discovered the breach on Friday and halted the service immediately to launch an investigation on the source of the information leak.