Said one employee, "It's really crazy and scary."
It seems like matters for Sony Pictures is getting worse with time. Last month hacking attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment made the studio's internal corporate systems offline and spewed confidential information onto the Internet. Hackers group that identifies itself as #GOP (Guardians of Peace) claimed responsibility for the hack and apparently stolen reams of internal corporate data as well.
Just a week after the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, high-quality versions of five newest films – Annie, Fury, Still Alice, Mr. Turner and To Write Love on Her Arms – distributed by Sony Pictures leaked online during Black Friday. Although it has not been confirmed that the leak of all the films came from the same breach, but the company suffering is the same.
However, it didn't end up here!! Just last week, the massive data breach at Sony appeared to have exposed more sensitive documents, revealing the US Social Security numbers of more than 47,000 celebrities, freelancers, and current and former Sony employees.
And now, according to several media sources, employees at Sony Pictures Entertainment were sent threatening emails from the GOP group of hackers.
The e-mail was written in English that asked the company employees, "Please sign your name to object the false (sic) of the company at the email address below, if you don't want to suffer damage. If you don't, not only you but your family will be in danger."
Sony Pictures is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the whole matter. Till then, the employees at the Studio were told to turn off their phones after receiving this email messages.
As we reported earlier, there are some possibilities that hackers working on behalf of North Korea were behind the hacking incident, though the country denied it. But Sony believes that the cyber attack on its network is the payback for upcoming Kim Jong assassination comedy film, "The Interview," which is about two journalists who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The FBI investigating the matter said that cyber criminals have used malicious software, Wiper malware, to launch destructive cyber-attacks including the one occurred at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The full email send by hackers to the Studio's employee reads:
"I am the head of GOP who made you worry.
Removing Sony Pictures on earth is a very tiny work for our group which is a worldwide organization. And what we have done so far is only a small part of our further plan.It's your false if you if you think this crisis will be over after some time. All hope will leave you and Sony Pictures will collapse. This situation is only due to Sony Pictures. Sony Pictures is responsible for whatever the result is. Sony Pictues clings to what is good to nobody from the beginning. It's silly to expect in Sony Pictures to take off us. Sony Pictures makes only useless efforts. One beside you can be our member.
Many things beyond imagination will happen at many places of the world. Our agents find themselves act in necessary places. Please sign your name to object the false of the company at the email address below if you don't want to suffer damage. If you don't, not only you but your family will be in danger.
Nobody can prevent us, but the only way is to follow our demand. If you want to prevent us, make your company behave wisely."
