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.

Comments

Dear Sony, I am delighted!

[CaptainOfSpray]

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.

Re:Dear Sony, I am delighted!

[donaldm]

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"

Not bad bringing up something that happened in 2005 with the scandal having impact to 2007. Yes Sony BMG was IMHO stupid to put what is called a "root-kit" on a PC running a Microsoft OS. Although that root-kit was benign and Anti-virus firm F-Secure concurred, "Although the software isn't directly malicious, the used rootkit hiding techniques are exactly the same used by malicious software to hide themselves". This is not to say that this absolves Sony BMG however the finger of blame should also point at AV protection software and the Microsoft OS as well that allowed the root-kit to be installed in the first place.

I shall be wearing the smile today, all day

You may not like Sony and that is fine, however extortion is a crime and carries a fairly stiff punishment. It is definitely not something to be applauded.

Re:would prefer EA, Comcast, or Haliburton myself

[v1]

Seriously, what important, secret information does a film studio have, besides salary, and royalty numbers?

Embarassing "creative accounting", heavier than expected use of offshore tax shelters and chip-shuffling, two sets of books, other illegal accounting, illegal campaign contributions, those are a lot more likely than the sort of "secrets" you're thinking of. They probably stand a lot more to lose there than from theft of R&D files.

Nowadays your accounting department needs to be the most heavily defended portion of your network, and not due to direct theft. (unless you're in the business of mining bitcoins anyway)