Sony Pictures Hackers Negotiating With Private Employee Information
Sony Pictures found itself in an embarrassing situation when a group of online hackers got control of tons of company emails and documents, and released many of them to the public. While most of the data from Sony Pictures that has hit the web so far is a collection of bizarre photos with plans on how to market various films, the hackers claim to also have the private information of Sony Pictures employees. The hackers are planning to release this personal data, but have made Sony an offer before doing so.
According to Recode, the hacker group responsible for leaking Sony Pictures Entertainment documents is offering to withhold the personal information if the Sony employees write in and request it. The group claiming credit for the hack calls itself the Guardians of Peace, and has released the following statement making their offer.
“Message to SPE Staffers. We have a plan to release emails and privacy of the Sony Pictures employees. If you don’t want your privacy to be released, tell us your name and business title to take off your data.”
The statement appeared on Pastebin and Friendpaste, two sites which hackers frequently use to share text files obtained during hacking attacks. The Guardians of Peace also claim to have a lot more information about Sony Pictures Entertainment that it hasn’t released yet. According to CNET, “more interesting” data from Sony will be on its way soon, and in increasing quantities.
Some of the hacked data that Guardians of Peace have teased about include email correspondence from Sony employees and an email archive from Sony Pictures Releasing International President Steve O’Dell. The hackers have referred to this data leak as a “Christmas gift” and have said, “The gift will be larger quantities of data.”
So far, Sony Pictures Entertainment has not responded to the hackers’ offer or commented to the public about the incident.
Among the leaked Sony data was information about unreleased films, such as a Men in Black and 21 Jump Street crossover. Added to that, some Sony emails involve private conversations calling an upcoming Bradley Cooper movie a catastrophe. Read more about that here.
This massive Sony hack has come on the heels of another shocking internet leak called the Fappening, which involved the uploading of hundreds of nude photos of female celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton. Many are concerned that these hacking attacks are becoming alarmingly frequent. What do you think?
[Image courtesy of FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images]
