Sony set to complete PlayStation fix in Asia

Sony plans to restore the PlayStation Network in Asia on Saturday, reviving its online gaming operations in the final region still suffering from a complete blackout as a result of a hacker attack.

The move, part of efforts to restore the Japanese group’s reputation, comes after Sony reported its worst loss in 16 years as the deteriorating business outlook in Japan following March’s tsunami forced it to write off Y360bn ($4.4bn) in tax credits.

The company is still struggling to protect is online operations from computer hackers. This week, hackers expanded their assault beyond Sony’s US-based PlayStation Network to business units from Greece to Thailand.

Sony took down a website run by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications in Canada, through which intruders had obtained names and e-mail addresses of about 2,000 customers. In the Greek attack, information on 8,500 customers was stolen through a Sony Music site.

A Sony website in Thailand was used in a “phishing” attack – in which cyber criminals attempt to lure people into entering sensitive information into fake or hijacked sites – and another site in Indonesia was also subject to “unauthorised access”.

The net loss for the year to March 31 was its third in as many years and its largest under Sir Howard Stringer, chief executive, since 2005. Sony forecast it would swing back to a modest profit this year.