Sony says stolen PlayStation credit data encrypted

NEW YORK - Sony is telling PlayStation users that it had encrypted the credit card data that hackers may have stolen, reducing the chances that thieves could have used the information.

Sony Corp. says that while it had no direct evidence the data were even taken, it cannot rule out the possibility. It did not say how strong the encryption was, and it's possible for hackers to decipher files that are weakly encrypted.

On Tuesday, Sony said account information, including names, birth dates, e-mail addresses and log-in information, was compromised for certain players using its PlayStation Network.

In a blog post Wednesday, Sony said that data had not been encrypted and had been kept in a separate location from the credit card information.