FBI confirms Sony Pictures employees threatened by hackers

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/08/fbi-confirms-sony-pictures-employees-threatened-hackers

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Sony Pictures employees are being threatened via email after hackers broke into the movie studio’s computer network, the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) confirmed.

The emails attempt to threaten employees into disavowing Sony Pictures to prevent further attacks.

“Please sign your name to object the false of the company at the email address below if you don’t want to suffer damage [sic]. If you don’t, not only you but your family will be in danger,” said the attackers in the email sent to Variety.

‘Aware of threatening emails’

The FBI confirmed that it “is aware of threatening emails that have been received by some employees at Sony Pictures Entertainment”.

“We continue to investigate this matter in order to identify the person or group responsible,” an FBI spokesman said in a statement, but refused to elaborate on the threats.

Confidential data including logins, passwords email addresses, payment details and social security numbers were leaked as part of the attack, which is now thought to have originated from a five-star hotel in the centre of Bangkok, Thailand, according to sources from inside the investigation talking to Bloomberg.

The threats to Sony Pictures employees could have been sent from copycats or anyone who had access to the data leaked onto the internet via file sharing services.

A Sony Pictures spokesperson confirmed that the email claimed to be from “GOP” the moniker being used by the Guardians of Peace hacking group thought to be responsible for the initial attack and leak of data.

Investigations by the FBI and security firm FireEye hired by Sony Pictures are still ongoing. North Korea’s involvement over the release of the Sony Pictures film The Investigation, which depicts an attempt to assassinate Kim Jong-un, has been mooted.

North Korea denied that it was involved in the attack, but declared that it was a “righteous deed” in the “just struggle against US imperialism”.

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