Sony Online Entertainment databases were hacked, players' credit card and bank information stolen

Just as Sony's security troubles seemed to be drifting to the back of our minds, ready to be forgotten, SOE has released a surprisingly frank appraisal of how the security leak affected their databases. On April 16 and 17, hackers accessed their database and stole a ton of information. If you've played an SOE game, read on to see what information has been compromised, so you can take the proper steps to protect yourself.

The personal information of the approximately 24.6 million SOE accounts was illegally obtained. That information includes:

• name
• address
• e-mail address
• birthdate
• gender
• phone number
• login name
• hashed password
• 12,7000 "non-US" credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates, but not security codes

In addition to the above information, an additional database was hacked that contained 10,700 direct debit records from accounts in Austria, Germany, Netherlands and Spain, including:

• bank account number
• customer name
• account name
• customer address

In addition to granting 1 day playtime for every day that SOE's services are done, Sony has announced that it will grant all customers 30 days of additional time to their accounts. Sony has also stated that they're helping customers by offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services. The plan (dubbed "The Make Good" plan) is still being finalized, and more details will be released for each region affected.

Sony has posted information on its website and will send e-mails to all consumers whose data may have been stolen.

Even if you don't hear from SOE right away--and especially if you live in Austria, Germany, Netherlands or Spain--it would be wise to keep a close eye on your bank accounts and credit card statements for a while.