PSN/social networks an easier target for hackers than banks

The recent attacks and subsequent user information breach is evidence that internet fraudsters are now increasingly targeting social and other such networks because of their softer security measures compared to banks and online retailers.

That's according to data protection expert and Open University lecturer Blaine Price, who told BBC that networks such as Sony's PSN are forced to sacrifice security in favour of usability.


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"Any lock can be picked," said Price, adding, "There's always a trade off in security between usability - being able to get at what you want, and making it secure.

"Your online banking site is much more sophisticated," he went on to explain, making it a more strenuous process for users to get their details, but is more secure because of it.

"A bank would usually use two-factor authentication, where you've not just got a password. It would be a real pain if every time you want to start up a game you had to scan your thumb, type in 15 digits and pull out a card reader.

"Any time you're just using a user ID and password, it's going to be a risk," said Price.

David Emm, a senior security researcher for Kaspersky Labs, chimed in with age-old advice - don't use the same passwords for all your site/network accounts. "The weakest link is always the individual," said Emm, noting peoples' tendency to use the same password across the internet to make logins easier to remember.

"Clearly, trying to undermine a bank's security is a lot of effort. Whereas if you go after an individual, it's not going to be noticed, it's going to be easier to do."

Meanwhile, the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) David Smith questions companies need to collect such extensive amounts of personal data. "It's a very important data protection principle that you shouldn't collect excessive information or keep it longer than is necessary.

"The question about, for example, why an organisation asks for a specific date of birth, as opposed to an age band, is at the centre of our work," he said.

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