(Newswire.net — December 18, 2014) — Resent hackers attack on entertainment giant Sony has certainly damaged the reputation of this distinguished company. The breach cost Sony not only it’s reputation, but hundreds of millions of dollars, making this company an ultimate looser. So who benefits?
It is rare for the United States to publicly accuse countries suspected of involvement in cyber intrusions, however American officials said the attackers used readily available commercial tools to wipe data off Sony’s machines, leaving a ‘long forensic trail’.
The New York Times cited a US intelligence official who claims North Korea is “centrally involved” in the hack, however, it is unclear from the Times report what “centrally involved” means and whether the intelligence officials are saying the hackers were state-sponsored or agents of the state or a group of independent hacktivists.
Reportedly, the target of the hackers was “the Interview”, a new movie Sony produced. According to Sony Pictures Entertainment, “the Interview” is an action-comedy that follows the story of the authors of a popular tabloid TV show when they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un is a fan of the show. As they prepare for travel to Pyongyang to interview Kim Jong-Un, the CIA recruits them to assassinate the North Korean leader.
Allegedly, the plot of the movie so aggravated North Koreans, they cyberattacked Sony, only to post the movie on torrents for free download, and everything else that is ‘desirable’ collateral damage. But it does not make any sense.
Influential IT magazine ‘Wired’ said hackers have to be extremely skilled to penetrate such security, and it is too easy for them to leave ‘the clues’ which indicate the origin of the attack. State hackers, like those who work with NSA, or even freelance professionals, would never use ‘obvious’ methods.
So who hacked Sony? The answer to that question is not yet on the horizon and probably we’ll never know. Nonetheless, we do realize how much publicity “The Interview” gained thanks to the incident, though the plot of the movie is deeply offensive to the Korean people.
“To allow the production and distribution of such a film on the assassination of an incumbent head of a sovereign state should be regarded as the most undisguised sponsoring of terrorism as well as an act of war,” UN Ambassador Ja Song Nam wrote the UN Secretary General in a letter. “The United States authorities should take immediate and appropriate actions to ban the production and distribution of the aforementioned film; otherwise, it will be fully responsible for encouraging and sponsoring terrorism,” Ja Song Nam said in the letter.
Because of fears that terrorists might attack theaters showing the film, Sony canceled the premiere of “The Interview” and its entire Christmas-Day release, however, all of this publicity has built up the PR value of the movie. No question, the producers would recognize just the right moment to release the film.