Sony Comes To A Screeching Halt Targeted By Massive Ransomware Hack
It appears that Sony has become the victim of a massive ransomware hack which has resulted in the company shutting down. An unnamed source spoke to Business 2 Community claiming that the company shut down after its computers in New York and around the nation were infiltrated.
The source, according to the website, is an ex-employee of Sony Pictures who has a friend that still works for the company. According to the source’s friend, allegedly, every computer in Sony’s New York Office, and every Sony Pictures’ office across the nation, bears an image from the hacker with the headline “Hacked By #GOP” which is then followed by a warning.
The hacker, or group, claims to have obtained corporate secrets and has threatened to reveal those secrets at 11:00 PM GMT tonight if Sony doesn’t meet their demands. What those demands are and what is #GOP has yet to be determined.
But the threat is enough that Sony has shut down its electronics on a global scale as the company investigates the breach. An unnamed source spoke to Deadline and said, “We are down, completely paralyzed.”
Sony has yet to release a formal comment on the matter.
[Update] Another unnamed source has surfaced and, speaking to Variety, claims that Sony's IT department told employees to disable the WiFi on their mobile devices and turn off their computers. That same source went on to say that the company has told its workers that the situation will take anywhere from one day to three weeks to be resolved.
The source, according to the website, is an ex-employee of Sony Pictures who has a friend that still works for the company. According to the source’s friend, allegedly, every computer in Sony’s New York Office, and every Sony Pictures’ office across the nation, bears an image from the hacker with the headline “Hacked By #GOP” which is then followed by a warning.
The hacker, or group, claims to have obtained corporate secrets and has threatened to reveal those secrets at 11:00 PM GMT tonight if Sony doesn’t meet their demands. What those demands are and what is #GOP has yet to be determined.
cool to know that RL Stine's cover illustrator is still getting work from Hacked By #GOP. pic.twitter.com/gHUGvOMmyr
— Keaton Savage (@keatonsavage) November 24, 2014
But the threat is enough that Sony has shut down its electronics on a global scale as the company investigates the breach. An unnamed source spoke to Deadline and said, “We are down, completely paralyzed.”
Sony has yet to release a formal comment on the matter.
[Update] Another unnamed source has surfaced and, speaking to Variety, claims that Sony's IT department told employees to disable the WiFi on their mobile devices and turn off their computers. That same source went on to say that the company has told its workers that the situation will take anywhere from one day to three weeks to be resolved.
