Sony PlayStation – Data breach

The 2011 PlayStation Network outage (also known as the PSN Hack) was caused by an "external intrusion" into Sony PlayStation Network and Qriocity services, which resulted in the compromise of personal information from approximately 77 million accounts and prevented users of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles from accessing the service. The attack took place between April 17 and 19, 2011, leading Sony to shut down the PlayStation Network on April 20. Sony stated on May 4 that each of the 77 million accounts' personally identifiable information had been compromised. The outage was 23 days long.

With 77 million registered Sony PlayStation Network accounts at the time of the outage, it was not just one of the greatest data security breaches, but also the longest PS Network downtime in history. It surpasses the 45 million consumers impacted by the TJX breach in 2007. Government authorities from a number of nations expressed alarm about the theft and Sony's one-week delay in notifying consumers. The data breach cost Sony $171 million (£137 million), with identity theft insurance, security enhancements, customer assistance, and an investigation accounting for the losses. However, the company's reputation was shattered, and billions in sales were lost as a result.

Cost: £137 million