North Korea Linked Sony Hack

[FlameOn]

This is getting out of hand. A second film has been dropped in the wake of the Sony hack. The movie called "Pyongyang", set in North Korea, was to start filming soon. Fox studios declined to further support and distribute the film.

Hollywood and American corporations in general seems to be all talk and very little backbone as of late.

New Regency has reportedly pulled the plug on a Steve Carell movie set in North Korea after the unprecedented hack of Sony Pictures that a U.S. official has linked to the secretive state.

Carell was set to star in the thriller based on the graphic novel Pyongyang, by Quebec City-born cartoonist Guy Delisle​.

The story centres on a young animator who becomes accused of spying in the communist nation. Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski was set to direct.

Industry website Deadline Hollywood reported Wednesday that New Regency, a Fox-owned studio, had backed away from the film because Fox "declined to distribute it," said an unnamed spokesperson.​

Production was set to begin in March.

Carell hasn't directly commented on the decision, but the actor and star of the new movie Foxcatcher seemed to express his frustration in a Twitter message Wednesday, writing "sad day for creative expression, #feareatsthesoul."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/steve-ca...hack-1.2877462

[Bigtime]

No, Carell is currently in a movie out called Foxcatcher, this film was to be called Pyongyang.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Alamo Drafthouse Dallas has responded by having a free singalong airing of Team America in lieu of The Interview, it's going to be a patriotism overload!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...a-9932362.html

I'm quoting myself here, but it has just come out that Paramount is pulling the plug on allowing screenings of Team America now too!

Nooooooooo!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/...paramount.html

C'mon America, freedom!

[Jordan!]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Yeah This is the End wasn't just a good movie because I like stoner movies. It was a good movie because it was entertaining, unique, well made, told a good story and was funny.

Yup, pretty pathetic that Sony caved

[northcrunk]

Glad I didn't buy a ps4. They might pull the next ps exclusive if someone pulls the same crap. Don't be so chicken. WTF is North Korea really going to do? IMO Sony is just trying to cover their butts and don't want any more information leaked.

[Erick Estrada]

Empowering hackers. Fantastic.

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

Glad I didn't buy a ps4. They might pull the next ps exclusive if someone pulls the same crap. Don't be so chicken. WTF is North Korea really going to do? IMO Sony is just trying to cover their butts and don't want any more information leaked.

Not isolated to Sony, this is the entire Hollywood corporate establishment now. Regal, AMC, Cineplex, Paramount, Sony, Fox have all cut projects and rejected showings. This is in no way cowardice from one company.

To be fair though, I don't think any of these companies have good enough Information Security policies in place to deal with a nation state hacking attack. The movie studies definitely do not given their backwards views on technology and the internet in general.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

Glad I didn't buy a ps4. They might pull the next ps exclusive if someone pulls the same crap. Don't be so chicken. WTF is North Korea really going to do? IMO Sony is just trying to cover their butts and don't want any more information leaked.

Probably not far from the truth. Some higher ups in the company probably are buckling at the threat of information damaging their personal reputations being released to the public. Either there's legitimate threats to health and welfare of some Sony employees or this is all about executives covering their asses.

[polak]

He who has the dick pics, has the power.

[Flamenspiel]

Originally Posted by nik-

There are always gaps in an IT audit. It's in an auditing company's best interest to find something, report it and then find the next step in the chain the following year. If they presented everything fixable at once, what would they be needed for next year?

There is no such thing as a 100% secure network if a state sponsored group has decided you're the target.

Yea I get that, but they were a long way from being 100 percent and they had recently outsourced their entire IT department. Sony was very much in a transition and it appears that the hack did not really require a lot of work.

"...Leaked documents show that Sony employees kept lists of passwords in spreadsheets on their computers. Also, employees kept the Social Security numbers of 47,426 people -- including Conan O'Brien and Sylvester Stallone -- lying around in unencrypted files.."

This was not PWC showing they knew their stuff, there were real gaps.

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by Flamenspiel

Yea I get that, but they were a long way from being 100 percent and they had recently outsourced their entire IT department. Sony was very much in a transition and it appears that the hack did not really require a lot of work.

"...Leaked documents show that Sony employees kept lists of passwords in spreadsheets on their computers. Also, employees kept the Social Security numbers of 47,426 people -- including Conan O'Brien and Sylvester Stallone -- lying around in unencrypted files.."

This was not PWC showing they knew their stuff, there were real gaps.

You would think they would have learned after the PSN hack and all the grief it cost them. Seems like they just sat on their hands and said "oh well".

[FlameOn]

[Senator Clay Davis]

Oh look, Americans are striking back. The Interview currently sits at a 9.7 on IMDB. USA! USA! We'll just upvote the movie we can't actually see!

[FlameOn]

Originally Posted by northcrunk

You would think they would have learned after the PSN hack and all the grief it cost them. Seems like they just sat on their hands and said "oh well".

SCE and SPE are run as different business units almost as independent companies. Having worked in a local subsidiary of a global organization, our IT and engineering departments operated with almost zero contact with our corporate brethren overseas. This is likely the case here as well with no contact in between divisions.

[northcrunk]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

SCE and SPE are run as different business units almost as independent companies. Having worked in a local subsidiary of a global organization, our IT and engineering departments operated with almost zero contact with our corporate brethren overseas. This is likely the case here as well with no contact in between divisions.

And theres there problem. A few of the companies I've been at as well have had overseas entities that didn't have much contact between each other but when it came to security information it was definatly shared as well as lessons learned.

[MrMastodonFarm]

The whole thing is rather fascinating.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sony-...ry?id=27667840

Federal cyber-security sources close to the investigation have confirmed to ABC News that there is evidence to indicate the Sony intrusion was routed through a number of infected computers in various locations overseas, including computers in Singapore, Thailand, Italy, Bolivia, Poland and Cyprus.

The primary suspects are members of an elite North Korean cyber-security unit known as "Bureau 121," the sources also confirmed today. But authorities have not ruled out that it could be an insider cooperating with some groups with a grudge against Sony, or an insider who helped the North Koreans.

However, the theory that the North Koreans are not involved and are just being used as cover is running far behind, one source said, because the tactics being used here are so "over the top." Authorities have yet to see such a far-reaching and punishing hack -- including the destruction of files, making public not only corporate but personal medical files, and now the threat of violence against theaters. The thinking is that even rivals or enemies of Sony would not go quite that far, sources said.

Bureau 121, hotels in China, recruitment through Universities... real fun stuff. Sony has a winner of a movie on its hands when this is all over!

[ranchlandsselling]

So government sponsered attacks on companies operating in the USA follewed by threats of violence and 9-11 like attacks on US citizens? I know it's North Korea and they're basically a joke, but isnt that bordering on a war threat given it's government sponsored?
I hope this leads to nothing, but it's a little bit crazy the direction it's going.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

The whole thing is rather fascinating.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sony-...ry?id=27667840

Bureau 121, hotels in China, recruitment through Universities... real fun stuff. Sony has a winner of a movie on its hands when this is all over!

No. Hollywood can't make hacker movies. I'm sure they'd put some hacker skateboarding through a server room and some crazy NK General beheading a hacker that just wasn't up to par. Also, every text based command input would be replaced with over the top CGI.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by nik-

No. Hollywood can't make hacker movies. I'm sure they'd put some hacker skateboarding through a server room and some crazy NK General beheading a hacker that just wasn't up to par. Also, every text based command input would be replaced with over the top CGI.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by FlameOn

Not isolated to Sony, this is the entire Hollywood corporate establishment now. Regal, AMC, Cineplex, Paramount, Sony, Fox have all cut projects and rejected showings. This is in no way cowardice from one company.

To be fair though, I don't think any of these companies have good enough Information Security policies in place to deal with a nation state hacking attack. The movie studies definitely do not given their backwards views on technology and the internet in general.

I think the Cinemas are worried that if an attack did actually happen , It would hurt there stock price. There's got to be a money motive as well.


I see a legitimate concern with Sony. Even if they can't get to Sony Pictures, Japan is not to far out of NK reach. Nothing will happen IMO, if something did the NK said months ago it would be the USA's fault as NK considered the release of the Movie as an act of war already.