Sony hires former U.S Department of Homeland Security official to boost defenses

Following a major security breach earlier this year, Sony made good on its promise to bolster its security by hiring a former official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to serve as its chief information security officer and senior vice president, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Philip Reitinger formerly served as the director of the U.S. National Security Center. “Certainly the network issue was a catalyst for the appointment,” a Sony spokesman told Reuters. “We are looking to bolster our network security even further.” Sony’s online PlayStation and Qriocity networks were attacked in May when a hacker group known as LulzSec gained access to personal data belonging to more than 100 million users. A string of subsequent hacks on Sony’s digital properties made headlines for the better part of two months, and Sony’s PlayStation Network was not fully restored until July.