Question about PSN Accounts

[Reno Takamiya]

So I know how when the PSN hacking happened and supposedly upwards of 70 million accounts/users were compromised. However, Wikipedia reports that there are about 110 million members on PSN.

Websites like this one: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/04/playstation-network-hacked/

Sony thinks an “unauthorized person” now has access to all PlayStation Network account information and passwords, and may have obtained the credit card numbers of the service’s 70 million users.

Now unless I'm not understanding correctly, by 70 million users do they mean people with just one account?

Because I know for a fact that the PS3 and Sony in general allow you to make more than one account as long as you have a different email.

I had an account around the time this happened which wasn't compromised and has nothing stolen.

Since then, I've forgotten the password and created a new one. I know that I have two accounts though.

How can 70 million users be affected if they can also have multiple accounts. Unless those multiple accounts still share the same data.

I recently had an argument with someone who said that everyone was compromised during this attack.

Quotes of the discussion.

Them: Funny how you claim that PC users are vulnerable to hacking when the PSN had everyone's information stolen. At least with a PC, you have a choice in the matter.

Me:

Everyone?

No.

Try upwards of 70 million people.

Them: You act as if 70 million is a small number of people

Me:

You act as if everyone in the whole word, or PSN for that matter was hacked.
I was a member during that time and I had nothing taken from me.

7.046 billion (World's current Population 2012) is a higher number than 70 million. So yes, I am acting like it's a small number.

According to Wikipedia there's about 110 million members right now. That is also factoring the people who also have multiple accounts. I myself have about two.

Them:

Oh right. It's not like 63% of people is a large chunk.

Me

63% of 110 million isn't 70 million.

35.99% is about 70 million

You're still assuming that each person has only one account. Which isn't always the case.
A person can make as many accounts as they want. They're only limited by how many can be activated on a system at any given time. Plus, you can only use one email for each account.
If you want another one you need another email.

Them:

A few things. First off, you figure out percentage points by dividing the the statistical number by the total number.

Such as

1/2 = .50. Times that by 100 and you have 50%

In the same way
if you take 70 (The number of people affected xMillion) and divide it by 110 (xMillion), then 70/110=.6363636363.... So actually I rounded down, it's 64%. In order for the number afflicted to equal half, then there has to be either 55 million accounts compromised or the pool has to contain 140 Million accounts all together.

As for multiple accounts, it can work both ways too where someone made a second account and that account got compromised. Seeing that the 110 million accounts could be shared, then that doesn't necessarily mean that there were fewer afflicted percentage-wise, it could mean the opposite for all we know.

Me:
I got my answers from taking 63% away from 110 million Which is: forty million seven hundred thousand.

That is about 29 million give or take, away from the 70 million accounts supposedly compromised.

110 million take away (-) 36% = seventy million four hundred thousand. (Reported: Upwards of 70million)

I have about two accounts, one that I only used during the hacking which didn't get compromised but I forgot the password to it so I created a new one and I use it on my PS3/Vita. Which is my newest one. You can have about 64 PSN accounts at one time activated on a PS3.

Is the person correct in saying that 63% of people were affected from the supposed 110million accounts reported on Wikipedia? Or did these people also have multiple accounts?

Unless I'm wrong Taking 63% away from 110 million doesn't exactly give you 70 million accounts/people.

By the way, how does Sony count it's membership total, if people are able to make multiple accounts and all they need is new email? Is it really 110 million or is it higher? Are they counting by person or just account?

Surely they aren't counting multiples, though it wouldn't surprise me. If they count a different email as someone entirely different. Was it really 70 million separate people or was it a and a combination of multiple accounts?

 

[htz]

So I know how when the PSN hacking happened and supposedly upwards of 70 million accounts/users were compromised. However, Wikipedia reports that there are about 110 million members on PSN.

Websites like this one: http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/04/playstation-network-hacked/

Now unless I'm not understanding correctly, by 70 million users do they mean people with just one account?
Because I know for a fact that the PS3 and Sony in general allow you to make more than one account as long as you have a different email.

I had an account around the time this happened which wasn't compromised and has nothing stolen.
Since then, I've forgotten the password and created a new one. I know that I have two accounts though.

How can 70 million users be affected if they can also have multiple accounts. Unless those multiple accounts still share the same data.

I recently had an argument with someone who said that everyone was compromised during this attack.

Quotes of the discussion.



Is the person correct in saying that 63% of people were affected from the supposed 110million accounts reported on Wikipedia? Or did these people also have multiple accounts?

Unless I'm wrong Taking 63% away from 110 million doesn't exactly give you 70 million accounts/people.

By the way, how does Sony count it's membership total, if people are able to make multiple accounts and all they need is new email? Is it really 110 million or is it higher? Are they counting by person or just account?

Surely they aren't counting multiples, though it wouldn't surprise me. If they count a different email as someone entirely different. Was it really 70 million separate people or was it a and a combination of multiple accounts?

The worldwide PS3 install base is only 81 million right now. It is safe to say the 70 million (back in 2011) were based on accounts and like you said many PSN users have multiple accounts. Also not everyone that owns a PS3 goes online and uses the Playstation Network or buys stuff from the PS Store (Probably even a smaller number that used a credit card instead of psn cards).