A hacker accessed So-net’s customer prizes location earlier this week and stole customers’ exchangeable gift points worth around $1,225, according to an Internet service provider subsidiary of Sony Corporation, So-net Entertainment Corporation.

This is coming only days after Sony finally got the Playstation Network back online after a major attack that stole millions of users’ personal information. That major attack by hackers cost Sony an estimated $1.5 billion.

According to So-net, the company discovered the breach after receiving customer complaints on May 18. A subsequent investigation concluded that hackers were able to tap into approximately 128 different accounts across May 16 and May 17, stealing around 100,000 yen (or $1,225) worth of points from the account holders. An additional 73 accounts were also accessed, but their points left unredeemed, and around 90 So-net email accounts were compromised in the attack.

Following the attack, So-net has contacted all of its customers and requested them to change the passwords on their accounts. A warning letter was sent out to users that stated what the situation was and how they can be safer online with their personal information. Also, the company has suspended any point exchanges across its network until further notice.

Keisuke Watabe, a spokesman at So-net Entertainment, says that the company believes the attack is probably not related to its parent company’s recent Playstation Network woes because the method of intrusion used was so different.  Read more...