Sony hires former US defence director as chief security officer

Sony has appointed Philip Reitinger as senior vice president and chief information security officer as the company looks to prevent any further high-profile security breaches.

Reitinger will be responsible for securing Sony's information and services, and will report to Nicole Seligman, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate executive officer at Sony.

"He will oversee information security, privacy and internet safety across the company, co-ordinating closely with key headquarters groups and working in partnership with the information security community to bring the best ideas and approaches to Sony," the firm said in a statement.

Reitinger has held a number of high-profile security positions, including six years as chief trustworthy infrastructure strategist and senior security strategist at Microsoft.

His most recent posts were director of the US National Cybersecurity Center and deputy undersecretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, roles he started in June 2009.

Sony chief executive Howard Stringer acknowledged that Sony had a difficult start to 2011, and hinted at changes during his keynote at electronics trade show IFA in Berlin last week.

Stringer maintained that Sony has learned from its mistakes with regard to the high-profile hacking of the PlayStation Network, and that the service is now "more secure than ever".

Sony is aiming to end 2011 with a bang. The company will launch its Sony P and S tablets at the end of September, and has revamped its Reader device to take the fight to Amazon's Kindle.