Sony admits it can't secure the PSN

Sony chief executive Howard Stringer has admitted that he cannot guarantee the security of the PlayStation Network (PSN) or any other web system.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, he added that it is virtually impossible to be completely secure in today's "bad new world" of cyber crime.

Sony has begun a process of bringing its PSN service back online across the globe following a successful cyber attack in which the personal details of over 100 million subscribers were lost.

It has been widely reported that servers rented from cloud provider Amazon Web Services were used to execute the attack.

Sony has been criticised for being slow to tell its customers about the breach, and to understand its extent. It has brought in several teams of external security experts to assist its investigations.

Phil Beckett, director of the disputes and investigations team at consultancy Navigant Consulting, said: "Appropriate procedures must be implemented to ensure that any breach can be readily investigated. As such, companies should ensure that relevant data can be captured quickly and securely, log files are maintained to be interrogated, and finally, that appropriate change management procedures are in place."