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Sony Pictures warns staff on fraudsters misusing stolen data

[December 16, 2014]  (Reuters) - Sony Pictures Entertainment advised its current and former employees to be on the alert for fraudsters looking to use their stolen data, which included detailed personal information.

In what is Sony's most detailed description on the types of data stolen, the company listed information such as social security numbers, credit card details, bank account information, healthcare information and compensation and other employment-related information.

Hackers attacked Sony's computer network last month and released sensitive data over the Internet. A group calling itself Guardians of Peace claimed responsibility for the cyber attack that shut down most of the studio's network for more than a week.

Sony, in a memo to staff seen by Reuters on Dec. 2, acknowledged that a large amount of data was stolen by the hackers but had declined to confirm specific documents.

The company is in the process of investigating the scope of the cyber attack and is notifying employees that it would be providing identity theft protection services, Sony Pictures said on late Monday.

Sony Pictures also provided a toll-free number for potentially affected individuals to call to receive information about the identity protection services.

(Reporting by Supriya Kurane in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

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