FBI concerned over security after Sony cyber-attack
SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – The FBI began investigating the cyber-attack at Sony Pictures in November and at that time, suspicion turned to North Korea.
On Friday, the FBI formally stated that North Korea was behind the cyber-attack.
A criminal leaves fingerprints, tell tale clues to their identity. In this instance, digital fingerprints, left by the hackers allowed the FBI to pin the cyber breach on the North Korean regime.
The FBI calls it a cyber intrusion. It’s a term that hardly captures the breadths of scope of this crime.
Hackers deployed destructive malware to infect Sony’s computer network. They stole tens of thousand of emails, confidential documents and employee social security numbers.
The attack left thousands of computers inoperable, forcing Sony to take its entire network offline.
FBI Special Agent Darrell Foxworth says investigators looked at the malware and found similarities to other attacks which were previously linked to North Korea.
“These are state sponsored actors acting on behalf of, under the direction of North Korea,” he said.
The FBI says the attack underlines the need for private companies to become more watchful. Some industries in San Diego may be more attractive as targets.
Because of threats of more attacks, theater owners pressured Sony to shelve the release of the movie, “the Interview”.
International security expert Ron Bee does not think the film studio should have caved into the hackers’ demands.
Cyber attacks are nothing new, but turning these cyber crimes into political acts is something that has not been seen before.
Investigators on the trail of these cyber terrorists say the U.S. Must guard against future attacks. No one is laughing about a possible sequel.
The FBI also said everyone from citizens to private companies need to make sure their computers, tablets and phones have protections against viruses and possible intrusions.
Meantime, a former Sony employee is suing the entertainment company, lawsuit number four for Sony.
The latest complaint is seeking class action status for nearly 50,000 former and present employees whose personal data was stolen and posted online. The lawsuit states Sony ignored warning about the security of its networks.
