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posted by janrinok on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:46PM   Printer-friendly
from the there-is-no-bad-publicity dept.

The NYT reports that in the aftermath of the crippling online attack against Sony last month, internal documents have been leaked containing the pre-bonus annual salaries of Sony's senior executives. A spreadsheet containing the salaries of more than 6,000 Sony Pictures employees has been posted on Pastebin, the anonymous Internet posting site, that includes the company’s top executives including 17 senior executives who earn more than $1 million a year sending "a ripple of dread across Hollywood to Washington". Tom Kellermann says that unlike stealth attacks from China and Russia, Sony’s hackers not only aimed to steal data, but also to send a clear message. “This was like a home invasion where after taking the family jewels the hackers set the house ablaze."

Although large attacks on companies are increasingly common, this one has played out like one of Sony’s own thrillers, with macabre images on computer screens of studio executives’ severed heads. Although the studio is exploring multiple explanations, one theory involves North Korea and that the attack could be retribution from North Korea for a coming Sony comedy about an assassination attempt on that country’s leader, Kim Jong-un. Sony plans to release “The Interview,” an R-rated comedy about two American journalists who are recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency to kill Mr. Kim. A spokesman for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry called the film — apparently after seeing a trailer — “the most undisguised terrorism and a war action" adding that the film would invite “a strong and merciless countermeasure.” The destructive attack at Sony mirrors similar attacks last year on computers inside South Korea that paralyzed the computer networks at three major South Korean banks and two of the country’s largest broadcasters. Those attacks were traced back to computer addresses inside China, though many suspected that hackers inside China were working on behalf of North Korea, retaliating against South Korea for conducting military exercises with the United States, and for supporting recent American-led sanctions against the north. “In 2015 hackers will destroy systems not just for activism, but also for counter-incident response,” concludes Kellermann. Sony is moving ahead with the release of the comedy regardless.

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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by RedGreen on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:51PM

    by RedGreen (888) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:51PM (#122314)

    is a bitch, could not have happen to a nicer bunch of scumbags, now they get to see what rootkits on their machines is like.

    --
    "I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:30PM

      by Jeremiah Cornelius (2785) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:30PM (#122333) Journal

      They will use this to enforce greater neo-techo fascism everywhere. Expect it to be a computer-related crime to connected unauthorized software to the Internet, before too long.

      --
      You're betting on the pantomime horse...
      • (Score: 1) by RedGreen on Wednesday December 03 2014, @09:32PM

        by RedGreen (888) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @09:32PM (#122405)

        So what else is new that has been going on basically forever, the control freaks will want more control who would have thought that ...

        --
        "I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
        • (Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Wednesday December 03 2014, @11:49PM

          by Jeremiah Cornelius (2785) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @11:49PM (#122428) Journal

          I'm just pointing out that in our loser's game called "modern western 'civilization'", that schadenfreude about the comeuppance of an "elite" is bound to be short-lived.

          --
          You're betting on the pantomime horse...
          • (Score: 2, Insightful) by RedGreen on Thursday December 04 2014, @12:27AM

            by RedGreen (888) on Thursday December 04 2014, @12:27AM (#122433)

            I do not care how short lived it is they got reamed and it looks good on them, you have to take what small pleasures life gives you whenever they occur.

            --
            "I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by ikanreed on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:52PM

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:52PM (#122315) Journal

    Posting salary information. How is that even remotely like arson?

    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:00PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:00PM (#122320)

      I am trying to figure that out as well..

      In the large company I work in I can guess +/- 10000 what most people make. It is all published in the internal guidelines. If you get past a particular level in most companies you have to file it with the sec which is open to any investor looking for the info. If you are gov or union employee you can usually get it down to the penny they make per hour.

      Though if it ends up being NK I am sure Sony will not be too hard to convince to help out other countries in hacks that compromise NK. Probably going as far as providing full source listings and internal docs. I am not sure I would want to piss off a company like that. They are deeply embedded in the whole supply chain of consumer electronics.

    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:17PM

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:17PM (#122330) Homepage

      Well, if women are now defining 3 seconds of eye-contact as "rape," and a tap on their shoulder as "sexual battery," then this should come as no surprise.

      • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:37PM

        by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:37PM (#122335) Journal

        No one actually does this.

        • (Score: 2) by jimshatt on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:31PM

          by jimshatt (978) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:31PM (#122385) Journal
          I mean, what would one tap from a woman's shoulder?
        • (Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Wednesday December 03 2014, @11:34PM

          by dyingtolive (952) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @11:34PM (#122426)

          At least one person must have. Comes up on yahoo answers, which is the barometer I use to gauge the average human.

          --
          Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
    • (Score: 2) by hoochiecoochieman on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:35PM

      by hoochiecoochieman (4158) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:35PM (#122334)

      Because it set their guilty consciences on fire.

    • (Score: 2) by EvilSS on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:22PM

      by EvilSS (1456) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:22PM (#122347)

      I think they are referring to stealing the data/films then wiping the hard drives. It was a pretty malicious attack all things considered.

      • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday December 03 2014, @07:11PM

        by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 03 2014, @07:11PM (#122367) Journal

        They do have backups, don't they? Well, don't they?

        • (Score: 4, Funny) by WillR on Wednesday December 03 2014, @07:44PM

          by WillR (2012) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @07:44PM (#122372)
          Of course they don't. It's Sony, they believe making backups is theft!
        • (Score: 5, Funny) by Freeman on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:26PM

          by Freeman (732) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:26PM (#122383) Journal

          Yep, it's called "Pirate Bay".

          --
          Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
          • (Score: 2) by edIII on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:31AM

            by edIII (791) on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:31AM (#122477)

            While moderated funny, I can easily obtain 30 GB damn-near-perfect bit-2-bit images of pretty much anything on BluRay.

            Considering that the pirates would have at most removed the extraneous crap that marketing included and forced you to watch, I think they are the most efficient backup service possibly for Sony. A little bit of contemporary spit and polish, and it's back at Costco as a new and improved version with all new interactive content that can't be pirated *ever* again.

            I'm thinking Sony owes some people a fruit basket or too. Maybe even one of those expensive Hickory Farms numbers.

            --
            Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @07:34AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @07:34AM (#122483)

      Because deep down, the executives class know what they're doing is wrong, or know that everyone will think it is. Another five or ten years of crap like this and the public will be burning their houses down and hanging them from traffic lights.

  • (Score: 2) by tonyPick on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:54PM

    by tonyPick (1237) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:54PM (#122317) Homepage Journal

    "Most people, I think, don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @09:18AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @09:18AM (#122499)

      "You have to reinstall Windoze because Sony purposely replaced part of it with something that is so broken it slows down your computer noticeably."

      "Sony did that even if you clicked NO.
      Sony thinks you are a thief."

      -- gewg_

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:55PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:55PM (#122318)

    unless each of the executives woke up next to the severed head of an Aibo robot dog

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:57PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @04:57PM (#122319)

    ouch!

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:00PM

    by nitehawk214 (1304) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:00PM (#122321)

    Publishing someone's salary is like stealing their valuables and destroying their house?

    Fuck you, Sony, fuck you.

    --
    "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
    • (Score: 2) by Bot on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:12PM

      by Bot (3902) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:12PM (#122328) Journal

      They are trolling.
      Sony is exaggerating the problem so that control of network activity is justified (a big plus for any corporation) and, bonus, so that the public knows they have a new release in the works.

      --
      Account abandoned.
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @01:58AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @01:58AM (#122443)

        Sony is exaggerating the problem so that control of network activity is justified

        That's not logical. They don't seem to even control their own network.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:28AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:28AM (#122476)

          Since when are corporations ever logical?

    • (Score: 1) by arulatas on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:28PM

      by arulatas (3600) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:28PM (#122384)

      "You wouldn't steal a car." - I think they have always had a problem with hyperbole.

      --
      ----- 10 turns around
      • (Score: 2) by nitehawk214 on Thursday December 04 2014, @04:35PM

        by nitehawk214 (1304) on Thursday December 04 2014, @04:35PM (#122600)

        But I would certainly download one if I could.

        --
        "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
        • (Score: 1) by arulatas on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:11PM

          by arulatas (3600) on Thursday December 04 2014, @06:11PM (#122640)

          I was actually commenting about how they like to confuse people with their rhetoric at every opportunity. Sorry you missed my intent.

          --
          ----- 10 turns around
  • (Score: 2) by quitte on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:19PM

    by quitte (306) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:19PM (#122331) Journal

    that's what it sounds to me.

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:39PM

    by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @05:39PM (#122336) Journal

    I like the way that Sony are completely mystified about who would possibly have a motive for an attack like this, and conclude that it could only be North Korea Hating their Freedumz. Like North Korea have nothing better to do with their very limited resources at the moment.[1]

    The last dozen or so Sony hacks over the last few years weren't enough of a clue? Here Sony, let me spell it out for you. Sony is a target for hackers because:

    A: Sony has pissed off various tech-literate people with the rootkit debacle, the whole withdrawing-Linux-from-Playstation thing and a bunch of other examples of bad behaviour I can't be bothered to list.

    B: Sony is a big, rich, famous, high-profile target.

    C: Judging by the amount of hacks, Sony's security is shit. Nothing lubricates a hacker's[2] keyboard more than a nice juicy target, with lots of security holes and plenty of interesting info within waiting to be unearthed.

    D: I don't need a D.

    E: This has nothing to do with North Korea. Seriously.

    [1] Admittedly, sane allocation of resources isn't something NK are traditionally associated with, but my point stands. Probably.

    [2] Don't start preaching to me about hackers vs crackers. The battle for that particularly terminology has been fought and lost. Deal with it.

    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:35PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @06:35PM (#122351)

      > North Korea? Get over yourselves.

      Sony can't unhack themselves. But they can make the best of the situation. If they can make the story about North Korea retaliating over this film it will be marketing gold. Sony can cut back on their promotional budget for the movie because the news will do it all for free. See the movie that made North Korea so butthurt that they retaliated with the single largest hack attack evah!

      • (Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:07PM

        by Nerdfest (80) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:07PM (#122379)

        Personally, I'm guessing that once again they won't spend the money on security.

      • (Score: 2) by WillR on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:52PM

        by WillR (2012) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:52PM (#122389)
        No no no, that's going at it all backwards. Think Hollywood accounting.

        We buy everyone a new laptop and an iPad, call it a "security upgrade", and charge it all to the movie budget because "the North Koreans did it!". The studio suits get new toys, and the actors, artists, and production staff that actually make the movies get fucked to pay for them.
      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday December 03 2014, @09:42PM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 03 2014, @09:42PM (#122409) Journal

        See the movie that made North Korea so butthurt that they retaliated with the single largest hack attack evah!

        I won't. Not even in a "stupid rental movies weekend".

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @11:31PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @11:31PM (#122424)

          I'll watch it. I think the premise is great and I like stoner rogan.
          But I will pirate the bluray.

    • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Thursday December 04 2014, @07:01PM

      by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Thursday December 04 2014, @07:01PM (#122670) Journal

      The idea that North Korea did it is silly, because North Korea would never open information, and is unlikely to do anything else worthwhile.

      So it is probably someone else that they've pissed off. Unfortunately since Sony when out of the electronics business they've consistently tried to maximize the number of people they've annoyed.

      --
      Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
  • (Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:06PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:06PM (#122377) Homepage

    includes the company’s top executives including 17 senior executives who earn more than $1 million a year sending "a ripple of dread across Hollywood to Washington".

    A ripple of embarrassment, perhaps, but what's so dreadful about people finding out about your bonus?

    not only aimed to steal data

    Did they delete the originals?

    Although large attacks on companies are increasingly common, this one has played out like one of Sony’s own thrillers, with macabre images on computer screens of studio executives’ severed heads.

    Alright, that's a bit scary. Although I note that there's no further explanation - were those images put there by the hackers? For all I can tell from the summary, it could just as easily have been some slightly misjudged tabloid's illustration of the story. Or even just a badly extended metaphor.

    Sony is moving ahead with the release of the comedy regardless.

    After all this free publicity? Of course they are!

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:20PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 03 2014, @08:20PM (#122382)

    ... who brought you "I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone."

    • (Score: 1) by m2o2r2g2 on Thursday December 04 2014, @10:34PM

      by m2o2r2g2 (3673) on Thursday December 04 2014, @10:34PM (#122746)

      ...the (dead technology) is to the (brain-dead overpaid person with no artistic integrity) as the (dead serial killer) is to the (person in a normal situation)

      Nope the metaphor still doesn't fit. Bad luck Sony.

  • (Score: 2) by arslan on Wednesday December 03 2014, @09:21PM

    by arslan (3462) on Wednesday December 03 2014, @09:21PM (#122401)

    Tom Kellermann says that unlike stealth attacks from China and Russia, Sony’s hackers not only aimed to steal data, but also to send a clear message. “This was like a home invasion where after taking the family jewels the hackers set the house ablaze."

    In this case its the bandit's crown jewels and their den being set ablaze. Context is pretty important when presenting analogies. Is this guy a journalist?

  • (Score: 2) by darkfeline on Thursday December 04 2014, @08:22PM

    by darkfeline (1030) on Thursday December 04 2014, @08:22PM (#122691) Homepage

    Not really sure what to say, except that I like this turn of events very much. Oh sure, crimes are definitely being committed (by both parties involved, natch), but I've got this smile on my face that won't go away. Ha! Serves you right, Sony.

    That said, I feel a little sorry for SCEJ, who are pretty cool in my opinion.

    --
    Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!