Third attack on Sony planned following PlayStation Network hack, says report

(CBS/CNET/AP) NEW YORK - A group of hackers are reportedly planning another massive cyber attack against Sony in retaliation for the company's handling of the initial security breach of its PlayStation network.

According to CNET, an observer of the Internet Relay Chat channel used by the hackers told the tech site that a third major attack is planned this weekend against Sony's official website.

The people involved plan to publicize all or some of the information they are able to copy from Sony's servers, which could include customer names, credit card numbers, and addresses, according to the source. CNET reports that the hackers claim they currently have access to some of Sony's servers.

Should the planned attack succeed, it would be the latest blow in a series of devastating security breaches of Sony's servers over the past month.

Sony first disclosed the attack last week, saying that credit card data, e-mail addresses and other personal information from 77 million user accounts may have been compromised.

On Monday, Sony said data from nearly 25 million additional online gaming accounts may have been stolen from its Sony Online Entertainment service.

In a recent blog post, Sony acknowledged the criticism that the company was slow to inform customers, but defended the company's handling of the breach.

Sony began investigating unusual activity on the PlayStation network on April 19; it did not notify gamers of the breach until April 26.

Complete coverage of the PlayStation network attack on Crimesider