--Sony Pictures Attackers Leak Unreleased Movies
(November 26, 28, & 30, & December 1, 2014)
A group of cyber intruders who claim responsibility for breaking into
computer systems at Sony Pictures have reportedly leaked five unreleased
films to file-sharing sites. Many Sony Pictures employees still do not
have Internet access - the company shut down its network after learning
of the breach.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-30276049
http://www.cnet.com/news/hackers-leak-n ... ing-sites/
http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/11 ... ate-files/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/11/28 ... y_hackers/
[Editor's Note (Murray): Breaches of large networks are all but
inevitable. Loss of the "crown jewels" should not follow.]

I saw something about that last night.

Apparently one of the theories is that it's North Korea retaliating for the movie The Interview.

--Sony Pictures Employees Threatened; Execs Received Extortion eMails
Prior to Attack
(December 8, 2014)
Additional information about the Sony Pictures attack is emerging. The
attackers appear to have used the network of a fancy hotel in Bangkok,
Thailand, to leak stolen data (ed: but the attack as been variously
attributed to North Korea and others). Reports also say that Sony
Pictures executives received extortion emails three days before the
initial attack. Employees of Sony Pictures have reported receiving
threatening email messages.
http://www.eweek.com/security/hacker-gr ... oyees.html
http://www.computerworld.com/article/28 ... ttack.html
[Editor's Note (Pescatore): Since it is often executive admins that read
executive emails first, this is a good reminder that those admins should
get some specific education on what to do if they see a ransomware-type
email, as well as more concentrated phishing recognition education since
execs will get the most targeted types of malicious emails.
(Honan): For me one of the biggest lessons from this attack is how
important it is for the victim organisation to communicate often and
clearly on the breach. The lack of information from Sony about the
attack has led to many wild speculations in various media outlets as to
who is behind the attack and what their motivations are.]

--Some Say North Korean Tie to Sony Attacks Still Doesn't Add Up
(January 21, 2015)
US authorities' confidence in pointing the finger at North Korea over
the Sony Pictures attacks was recently bolstered by documents alleging
that the NSA infiltrated North Korean networks in 2010. However, for
some, doubts still linger regarding the source of the attacks. The
profile of the attack does not fit that of a nation-state, but rather
that of someone bent on revenge, according to Adallom vice president of
strategy Tal Klein. And researchers and blogger Robert Graham questions
the assumption that the reports that the NSA's infiltration of systems
proves North Korea's culpability. If the US did have such access, its
monitoring either missed signs of the coming attack and/or did not warn
Sony about what was coming.
http://www.eweek.com/security/doubts-pe ... claim.html
[Editor's Note (Honan): Our concerns should focus more on how the attack
happened rather than who did it. Knowing how the attack was launched and
how it succeeded will provide more value to other organizations trying
to defend their systems.]