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US charges North Korean man linked to Sony hack and WannaCry
The US Treasury Department announced today that it has sanctioned one individual and one group connected to malicious cyber activities perpetuated by North Korea's government. Park Jin Hyok, a computer programmer, was sanctioned today along with Korea Expo Joint Venture, an agency he allegedly worked for. The Treasury Department claims Hyok is part of a conspiracy responsible for the 2014 Sony Pictures hack, the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist and last year's WannaCry ransomware attack. The Department of Justice also confirmed to reporters that it has charged Hyok with extortion, wire fraud and hacking crimes, according to Motherboard.
Hackers broke into Sony Pictures using an unpatched security hole
Whether or not you believe that North Korea hacked Sony Pictures, one thing is becoming apparent: whoever's responsible knew what they were doing. Sources for Recode understand that the perpetrators took advantage of a zero-day exploit, or a software security hole that hadn't been patched yet. The details of just what this attack involved are still under close guard, but it suggests that Sony had no surefire way to protect itself. Also, it hints that the culprits had a lot of skill, a lot of money or both. Zero-day vulnerabilities are usually difficult to find and fetch a high price on the black market (typically between $5,000 to $250,000), so the attackers must have really wanted in.
FBI explains how it linked North Korea to the Sony Pictures hack
There were quite a few skeptics when the FBI blamed North Korea for the Sony Pictures hack, and you can't entirely blame them -- where was the evidence? Well, the bureau is finally willing to provide some explanation of how it reached its conclusion. Director James Comey tells guests at a security conference that some of the email from the hack originated from internet connections used "exclusively" by North Koreans. The hackers "got sloppy" by occasionally forgetting to use proxy servers to mask their whereabouts, he says.
'The Interview' is coming to the UK on February 6th, but only in cinemas
Despite suffering a crippling hack and being warned off distributing its new movie, Sony Pictures took the decision to release The Interview, becoming one of the first major studios to release a big feature online and in cinemas simultaneously. The tactic appears to have worked, as the film notched up $15 million in digital US rentals and became Sony's most popular online movie ever after just four days on sale. With things now starting to simmer down, the studio has made plans to cast its net wider, which means moviegoers in the UK can finally (legally) see what all of the fuss is about come February 6th.
FBI maintains that North Korea hacked Sony as detractors mount
Did North Korea's government hack Sony Pictures? Though the United States government and FBI say yes, a growing chorus of detractors is pushing back on that claim. And the FBI is apparently listening: one firm, Norse, met with the FBI this past Monday to present its own claim that a group of six people were responsible. Moreover, at least one of those six is said to be an ex-Sony employee, reports Politico. Norse says its been looking into the attack on Sony Pictures since before Thanksgiving, and it presented the results of that research to the FBI yesterday. For its part, the FBI is sticking to its story -- at least for now. "The FBI has concluded the Government of North Korea is responsible for the theft and destruction of data on the network of Sony Pictures Entertainment. Attribution to North Korea is based on intelligence from the FBI, the U.S. intelligence community, DHS [Department of Homeland Security], foreign partners and the private sector," an FBI statement provided to media reads.
North Korea blames the US for internet outages following Sony hacks
It may appear we've reached a climax in the Sony Pictures hack saga - what with The Interview finally seeing a theatrical release - but the international finger pointing is alive and well. Today, North Korea's National Defense Commission is accusing the US of causing nation-wide internet outages, while likening the government to a snot-nosed child playing games. According to Reuters, a statement from the Commission carried by the country's official news agency KCNA reads: The United States, with its large physical size and oblivious to the shame of playing hide and seek as children with runny noses would, has begun disrupting the Internet operations of the main media outlets of our republic.
Sony's hackers threaten people who go see 'The Interview'
The Guardians of Peace (they of the titanic Sony Pictures hack) showed off an almost benevolent side this weekend when it offered to withhold personal employee information should those victims object. Lest you start feeling pangs of empathy though, the group -- or someone purporting to be a member of the group -- issued a public threat that seems to target moviegoers and theaters that will run the James Franco/Seth Rogen comedy The Interview. "Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made," the note reads. "The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time." However sinister the group's message was, you should obviously take it with a grain of salt: The Department of Homeland Security told Mashable that there was "no credible intelligence" regarding an actual attack in the coming weeks.
Sony memo describes hack as 'an unparalleled and well-planned crime'
Sony Pictures Entertainment has released new information about a high-profile cyber attack which exposed unreleased films and personal employee information. Security firm Mandiant, hired to help contain the incident, told Sony that the malware used in the attack was "unprecedented in nature" and "undetectable by industry standard antivirus software." The release of those comments (from an internal memo) appears to be an attempt by Sony to mitigate criticism of its internet security protocols. Mandiant went on to say that the hack's "purpose was to both destroy property and release confidential info," adding that the FBI released a flash alert to warn other organizations of the danger. North Korean hackers are rumored to be behind the attack, though the rogue state recently denied it while calling it "righteous" at the same time.
Sony Pictures hack takes computers down studio-wide
As a whole, Sony isn't a stranger to being hacked, but the most recent effort targeted its movie division -- not PlayStation. Computers in Sony Pictures offices have been compromised, as Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety report. Studio-wide, computers were breached by a group named "#GOP" that threatened the following: "We already warned you, and this is just a beginning. We continue till our request be met. We've obtained all of your internal data including your secrets and top secrets. If you don't obey us, we'll release the data shown below to the world."
