TORONTO – Hackers responsible for the widespread cyber-attack on Sony Pictures last week have demanded the studio cancel the release of its upcoming comedy The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.
In a statement posted to anonymous information sharing website Github, the hacker group known as the Guardians of Peace (GOP) said Sony is aware of its terms but have refused to accept.
“It seems that you think everything will be well, if you find out the attacker, while not reacting to our demand,” read the statement.
“Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War! The destiny of Sony is totally up to the wise reaction and measure of Sony.”
Hackers attacked Sony Pictures’ systems last week, knocking corporate email and other internal systems offline. Sony workers reportedly saw a message appear on their computer screens that read, “Hacked by #GOP.”
Since then, a bevy of internal information has been leaked online, including five unreleased Sony Pictures films, employee salary information, layoff strategies and 3,800 employee social insurance numbers.
READ MORE: 3,800 employee SINs, confidential data leaked online following Sony cyber-attack
Before the attacks, North Korea threatened “merciless retaliation” against the U.S. and any other country that allows the film to be played.
On Sunday, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea’s National Defence Commission released a statement denying any involvement with the Sony hack, but called the attacks “a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers.”
“We do not know where in America the Sony Pictures is situated and for what wrongdoings it became the target of the attack, nor (do) we feel the need to know about it,” the statement carried in state media said.
“But what we clearly know is that the Sony Pictures is the very one which was going to produce a film abetting a terrorist act while hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership of North Korea.”
READ MORE: North Korea denies cyberattack on Sony but calls it a ‘righteous deed’
Meanwhile, the GOP continues to release a massive amount of confidential company data.
In addition to its statement posted Monday, the group released more private employee information, including home addresses, salary information and social insurance information.
The most recent leaks also include actor phone numbers and travelling aliases, film budgets and even scripts.
Some have pointed out that the leaks could affect Sony’s bottom line, especially when it comes to relationships with celebrities now that confidential information about its business practices are out in the open.
“With so much of the studio’s operations now out in the open, everything from actor contract negotiation to vendor selection just became a lot more difficult,” read an article by Fusion.
Meanwhile, according to an article by the Wall Street Journal, some Sony employees allege the company has given them no guidance on how to protect themselves from identity theft or sign up for credit monitoring in light of the data leaks.
Experts warn that if criminals got hold of an employee’s social insurance number or personal details like name, address, or date of birth, they could open credit card accounts in your name, apply for bank loans and even commit full-blown identity theft by taking over your existing accounts.
Sony is working with the FBI and Silicon Valley security firm FireEye to investigate the attack.
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