Some might think that it's hard to feel sympathy for a megalithic company that straddles the world, but if the latest claims that the Sony Pictures website has been hacked are to be believed, you can't help but think that it's about time the hackers eased off on the Japanese electronics giant.
There have been times when Sony has rightfully attracted the ire of its customers (when it removed the Linux option from the PS3, for instance) but the actions of the hackers are now looking more like bullying than making any particular point.
When Sir Howard Stringer made what amounted to the world's worst apology for the data compromise, we couldn't help but poke a little fun.
But the fact is that Sony has been through the wringer – and now we think the time has come to give the company a bit of a break while it limps away and licks its wounds.
Tough times
It shouldn't be forgotten, either, that this is a company that has found its entire operation hit by the horrific earthquake that caused devastation to the Japanese nation and an appalling loss of life.
The company's reputation has certainly been damaged – and although it is not irreparable it will be a long time until many are prepared to trust Sony with crucial personal information and credit card details again.
It should have been an exciting time for Sony, with the early indications about the Sony NGP, the follow up to the PlayStation Portable, largely positive.
And the company has also announced Sony Tablets, which will aim to compete with Apple's iPad.
Head in the cloud
And yet, both of these new arrivals will lean heavily on the cloud to provide services, and it's fair to say that even the hardiest of souls will experience a flicker of doubt when they start typing in their security number in order to download the latest software.
Some will suggest, with some foundation, that you would expect Sony to have done a broad sweep of all of its properties and tighten the security up to the point where personal data is encrypted tighter than U-boat commander's briefings, but being thorough takes time.
With the PSN only just coming back to full functionality, and Sony still desperately trying to catch up on halted production from the earthquake – what has hacking the Sony Pictures site really proved?
Sony has made mistakes – of that there can be no doubt – and you would hope that lessons have been learned and will be applied as soon as they possibly can be across every area of the business.
In the meantime, hackers sticking the boot in could be construed as more about profile than doing something meaningful.
