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Sony Pictures Computer Sytems Shut Down After Ransomware Hack
MojoKid writes: It appears that Sony Pictures has become the victim of a massive ransomware hack, which has resulted in the company basically shutting down its IT infrastructure. According to an unnamed source, every computer in Sony's New York Office, and every Sony Pictures office across the nation, bears an image from the hacker with the headline "Hacked By #GOP" which is then followed by a warning. The hacker, or group, claims to have obtained corporate secrets and has threatened to reveal those secrets if Sony doesn't meet their demands.
As though the GOP,
Bugbears as they be,
Through that Galifianakis beard
Even shag-all could see.
Burma Shave
Get thee glass eyes, and, like a scurvy politician, seem to see things thou dost not.--King Lear
Can you imagine being in the middle of that shit-storm...
In the 90s this really would have meant something. Maybe they ought to hack Commodore Computer next.
#GOP has just become a top-10 target for US Offensive cyber-operations...
I heard it through the grapevine a few months back.
Couldn't happen to a "nicer" bunch.
Would I be right to believe the Sony Pictures, being part of the Sony conglomerate, are infected with the same high-handed corporate arrogance that we have seen at Sony Music? "cough" root kit "cough"
I shall be wearing the smile today, all day.
"Cock Up Your Beaver" does not mean what you think. This sig is intended to clog filters and annoy do-gooders
He'll probably become a soon to be deported retroactive rapist.
Sony is being on the receiving end of malware for a change? The irony...
Because what unnamed unknowns claim about themselves is inevitably true as gospel.
Can't they fight this with the DMCA or something for abusing the GOP hasthag? I bet those hackers will have shit running through their pants when they hear this!
Young man, Are you listening to me
I said, young man, what do you want to be
I said, young man, you can make real your dreams,
but you've got to know this one thing.
No man, does it all by himself
I said, young man, put your pride on the shelf
And just learn to play with the D.M.C.A.
I'm sure they can help you today
It's fun to play with the D.M.C.A.
It's fun to play with the D.M.C.A.
They have everything for young men to enjoy.
You can hang out with all the boys.
It's fun to play with the D.M.C.A.
It's fun to play with the D.M.C.A.
You can get yourself clean
You can have a good meal
You can do whatever you feel.
good old fashioned cracker extortion. I would have prefered it happen to EA, Comcast, or Haliburton.
Seriously, what important, secret information does a film studio have, besides salary, and royalty numbers?
Some would say.
It's already after the ransom deadline. Was anything released?
Someone clicked on "photos.zip".
Hopefully the IT department have strong hearts. Employee fitness programs probably should be made part of the disaster readiness planning.
So, Sony isn't just incompetent and unsafe with our data, they're apparently unqualified to run an internal network?
Unbelievable.
I can't think of many instances where a company as big as Sony had to shut down all of their IT stuff on this scale.
Bummer, dudes. But, it's Sony, so I'm not feeling overly bad about it.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I guess we get to see how Sony likes root kits now.
On the one hand, I despise extortionists, and the perpetrators ought to be hung out to dry. On the other hand, the folks at Sony arguably have engaged in extortion and fraud on a few occasions in the past, so part of me feels this is simply their just desserts. If it wasn't for the inevitable collateral damage I'd be tempted to say "let 'em all kill each other and God will sort them out".
It does seem kind of unfair that nobody at Sony was ever imprisoned for the Rootkit scandal or the OtherOS clusterfuck, whereas people behind #GOP will likely serve time in jail if they are ever caught. I guess "Corporate Immunity" is just as real in law as "Diplomatic Immunity" - 'the law' just won't openly admit it.
'The Economy' is a giant Ponzi scheme whose most pitiable suckers are the youngest among us and the yet-unborn.
comcast save up for a big hack that gives people free tv. Starting with HBO, NHL CI, NBA LP, MLB EI, and more.
Maybe they should make a movie about this.
I really hope they don't pay!
https://twitter.com/ikanowdata/status/537257039076921346
Sony can get quick cash (and good nerd PR) by selling Spider-Man movie rights back to Marvel. Just a thought.
Even though I had no computer vulnerable, and I did not buy one of Sony's malware-laden Music CDs, I remember the event so clearly and strongly I still refuse to consider buying any Sony product whatsoever, including their cameras. Is there some malware hidden within those proprietary, compressed RAW image files?
So I am of two minds. I don't like the use of ransomware. And I don't like Sony. This reminds me of the old joke where the guy sees his mother-in-law drive off a cliff in his new Bentley.
Happy Thanksgiving, Sony!
First see if Disney offers a discount on a new copy with the exchange of a broken authentic disc. If not, a workaround is to find a decent adaptation of the same story not distributed by Disney. I can think of a half dozen versions of The Adventures of Pinocchio, and there are probably plenty of "Rapunzel" and "The Snow Queen" adaptations that aren't Tangled or Frozen. Yes, mockbusters exist; read reviews to avoid the worst. And when they get old enough, show them the other Tangled with Rachael Leigh Cook.
When I say something like this, I mean it. Yes, there would be a temporary disturbance (in the force?) if Sony went under tomorrow. But the world would eventually be a better place for it. Same with most corporations, honestly.
Flamebait means what you think I was doing, which also isn't what I was doing. Trolling is making shit up to make people angry. I was expressing heartfelt beliefs. I know many here agree with me. But I guess you're still humping your PS4
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Ransomware sometimes uses TOR to avoid detection and serious encryption that no techie can undo. I am starting to get really worried that ransomware will become as common as IE-hijacking browser toolbars. It is easy money. This will be a huge problem. I'm even went through the trouble of logging in to ask how we can fight to nullify ransomware.
1 employee inside our company saw some form of ransomware a year ago. I'm sure he lost all the business data. We are not the NSA and therefore can't decrypt it after purging the "virus" exe without the private key on their servers... period. Most random people online do not realize this, from the desperate forum posts I find.
When ransomware has all your local documents for work encrypted, you will have enough motive to pay the 500 Euros to Cryptolocker and Cryptowall 2.0. Backups are rarely if ever applied on homes and laptops. Laptops are a huge business driver, and the above employee was using one. I hear from forums that sometimes ransomware snags your *shared* network drives, so you lose gigs of crucial data.
Now, most of us still haven't been affected, thankfully. Let's speak from a point of view of "how do I keep this from ever becoming a reality?" What's best?
- Backups? We will get hit. Same as spyware hits the most conscientious of users. Does anyone know of an OSS backup where you can "hide" the target USB drive or partition from the user (so the ransomware won't just up and pave it over along with the My Documents, Desktop, D:, Local network drive targets)
- Prevention: Do we double up on freeware options despite the performance penalty? (malwarebytes, Windows defender or whatever it's called today)
- "Shadow files" apparently get saved automatically on Windows 7 (don't know if you need to have paid for Ultimate like I did). This is great because you can revert an encrypted document, but Windows' GUI isn't equipped to fix files en-masse and utilities are required. The one I saw still gave you some cumbersome folder GUI that wasn't as easy as "revert all in this folder". Are there any savvy things out there to make this easier? I haven't explored Time Machine for MacOS. And this is windows
This is my Scientific Linux box. Much ransoming won't be happening here, but one of my neighbors got hit a few weeks ago on Windows, despite running some form of protection. I heard of one other person who apparently lost files, but I haven't personally confirmed what hit them.
-vlueboy
... up for some security?
Actually, I think this is an inside job where admin access was given to an outsider.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
No offense to the actual IT workers at Sony, as I'm sure their hands are as tied as management allows, but it does make me wonder how this kind of shit gets through IT and not only infects one office, but nationwide, without garnering any attention from the IT pros getting paid to stop things like this?
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
This impacts everyone who has worked at Sony Pictures in the last decade since a lot of HR data is listed in that file.
Form what I could find [I work in VFX so I was looking for particulars to see how I was impacted]
If you worked for Imageworks or the SP Animation division at any point in the past 10 years, all of your personal data is at risk including:
-Pay stubs
-Job offer letters
-Contracts
-Work visa data
-Performance review
-etc
Files are listed by first name/last name usually with an extension related to the above data.
My stuff was listed there as well as many of my co-workers who now don't even work at Sony anymore.
Sucks.
Couple years ago I interviewed at SOE (Sony Online Entertainment) in San Diego... I chose not to work for them simply because they were being hammered by Anonymous about the fact that Sony was taking legal actions against a 17 year old for jailbreaking their PS....
... but at the same time, I want them to stop being such mean and hateful to people who are able to crack the PS devices... or whatever other devices they make... Jailbreaking is legal remember?
Now this... Boy I'm glad I'm not a Sony employee... looks like they've been making lots of enemies with the general public and now it's the time that everything pays back... I want them to be able to recover and keep offering employment
SEE I told you Skylinux, we actually needed those telephone sanitizers.
Well, a few of them...
Ha ha
I'll never forget or forgive SONY for the root kit fiasco they
perpetrated.
I'll never forget or forgive SONY for abruptly leaving the PDA
market without giving any warning to customers.
Fuck SONY with a rusty meathook.