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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: 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.

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  • (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.