It seems that Sony had laid off network security experts a mere two weeks before the PSN was breached.  That doesn't bode well for Sony, who're now involved in a new class action lawsuit regarding the PSN security breach.

A complaint obtained by Gamasutra states, "Sony sought to cut its costs at the expense of its customers by terminating a significant number of employees immediately prior to the security breach, including personnel responsible for maintaining the security of the network."

When you consider that SOE laid off 205 workers and closed three studios in March of this year alone, that's a heck of a lot of cuts.  Unfortunately, as we all know, these cuts have now cost them dearly.

With that in mind, it would surprise anyone to learn that Sony apparently knew its security was weak before they went that route.  The suit claimed, " it had experienced hackings of sensitive data on a smaller scale prior to the massive security breach."  Other confidential witnesses were quoted as saying things such as, "[we] expressed an utter lack of surprise [about the breach] since he and others at Sony knew it had been breached on prior occasions as well," and, "Sony's technicians only installed firewalls on an ad-hoc basis after they determined that a particular user was attempting to gain unauthorized access to the network."

In addition, it seems Sony allegedly "spent lavishly" to protect their PS DevNetwork, "but recklessly declined to provide adequate protections for its customers' personal information."

Sony Corporation of America, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment International are named as the defendants in this suit. The plaintiffs, New York residents Felix Cortorreal, Jimmy Cortorreal, and Jacques Daoud Jr., are seeking many forms of relief including actual damage amounts for the network and equipment.