|
 Some employees at the Sony Corp entertainment unit were given
new computers to replace ones that had been attacked with the
rare data-wiping virus, which had made their machines unable to
operate, according to a person with knowledge of Sony's
operations.
In a memo to staff seen by Reuters, studio co-chiefs Michael
Lynton and Amy Pascal acknowledged that "a large amount of
confidential Sony Pictures Entertainment data has been stolen by
the cyber attackers, including personnel information and
business documents."
They are "not yet sure of the full scope of information that the
attackers have or might release," according to the memo first
reported by Variety, and encouraged employees to take advantage
of identity protection services being offered.
Their concern underscores the severity of the breach, which
experts say is the first major attack on a U.S. company to use a
highly destructive class of malicious software that is designed
to make computer networks unable to operate.
Government investigators led by the FBI are considering multiple
suspects in the attack, including North Korea, according to a
U.S. national security official with knowledge of the
investigation.
The FBI said Tuesday that it is working with its counterparts in
Sony's home country of Japan in the investigation.
That comes after it warned U.S. businesses on Monday about
hackers' use of malicious software and suggested ways to defend
themselves. The warning said some of the software used by the
hackers had been compiled in Korean, but it did not discuss any
possible connection to North Korea.
SONY'S TROUBLES
The hack, which was launched Nov. 24, only affected computers
with Microsoft Corp's Windows software, so Sony employees
using Apple Inc Macs, including many in the marketing
department, had not been affected, according to the person
familiar with Sony's operations, who was not authorized to
publicly discuss the attack.
Sony Pictures Entertainment shut down its internal computer
network last week to prevent the data-wiping software from
causing further damage, forcing employees to use paper and pen.
The studio has brought some systems back on line, focusing first
on those from which the company generates revenues, including
those involved with marketing and distributing its films and TV
shows, according to the person.
The hack comes at a tough time for Sony, following soon after a
denial-of-service attack on Sony's PlayStation Network in
August. Sony was also victim of a notorious 2011 breach that
compromised data of tens of millions of PlayStation Network
users.
[to top of second column] |
It also comes just as the company's CEO Kazuo Hirai is trying to
grow the entertainment business to help offset losses in its mobile
division.
He has been under pressure to prove the segment's growth potential
after rejecting a proposal by U.S. hedge fund Third Point to spin it
off last year.
FORENSIC INVESTIGATION
People claiming responsibility for this latest attack have posted
high-quality digital copies of yet-to-be-released Sony films and
what they claim are sensitive data about its operations and
employees on Internet download sites, making them freely available
to the public in a series of releases over the past five days.
Sony's holiday musical "Annie", which is due to be released Dec. 19
in the United States, was available for download on a popular piracy
site on Tuesday evening.
Daniel Clemens, chief executive of cyber security firm PacketNinjas,
said he has reviewed the files released to date and believes they
were stolen from Sony.
He said he found business contracts as well as Social Security
numbers, salary information and medical data about employees.
"This is a horrible compromise," Clemens said.
The U.S. national security official, who asked to remain anonymous,
told Reuters on Tuesday that the forensic investigation is in its
early stages, and that no clear suspects have emerged.
The technology news site Re/code reported Nov. 28 that Sony was
investigating whether hackers working on behalf of the North Korean
government were responsible for the attack as retribution for the
company's backing of the film "The Interview."
The comedy, which is due to be released in the United States and
Canada on Dec. 25, is about a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un. Pyongyang denounced the film as "an act of war"
in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June.
(Additional reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by
Mary Milliken, Lisa Shumaker and Rachel Armstrong)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
