hack story Sony has been a confusing one with the announcements circulating online in droves. The leaks seem to be endless and since the initial release, a lot of information has been revealed, with most of it appearing in the last week.
While it's still not known who or what is behind the Sony Pictures hack, the FBI is trying to track down the source of the leaks. Below is a timeline of what happened at Sony and what we know so far.
November 21st: An anonymous hacker sent an email to Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton and other executives warning of "great damage to Sony Pictures" and that the company would be "bombed in its entirety" if they did not pay a ransom.
November 24: Hackers hit all of Sony Pictures' computers, displaying the message "hacked by GOP" and the attackers threatening to release the stolen data if their demands are not met. We don't know what the hackers' demands were, but the deadline passed without the data being released immediately.
November 28: Recode reports that Sony Pictures is looking for those responsible in North Korea for the attack.
November 29: Variety reports that the Sony Pictures hack could be related to the release of “The Interview,” a Seth Rogen comedy about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Reuters reports that North Korea has threatened Sony Pictures with “merciless countermeasures” if the film is released.
December 1: Torrents of unreleased Sony Pictures films are released. The films “Annie,” “Mr. Turner,” “Still Alice,” and “To Write Love on Her Arms,” scheduled for release in 2015, are released on popular file-sharing websites. Sony Pictures begins working with the FBI to track down the attackers.
December 2: The first GOP data leak appears on a text-sharing website. The first leak contained financial information of company personnel, including the salaries of several high-ranking executives within Sony.
December 3: The second GOP data leak appears. The second leak came with a “bonus” that contained plaintext passwords stored on Sony’s servers, along with the company’s security certificates and other credential data. Fusion reported that the same leak also contained the salaries of Deloitte staff.
December 4: A massive leak of marketing slide decks has surfaced online. Sony details upcoming movie releases, how they will be marketed alongside other related products, and more.
5 : Attackers threaten Sony Pictures employees via email, but the GOP group denies in a later leak that they were behind this threat.
December 7: North Korean officials deny involvement in the attack but praise the attackers for their deed. Sony issues an internal memo calling the attack “unprecedented” and “unique enough to cause the FBI to warn other agencies.”
Bloomberg reports that the FBI has outlined that the attack was carried out from a Bangkok hotel, but it is not known whether the attacker was a resident or simply using the shared Wi-Fi.
December 8: Data was leaked with Brat Pitt's phone number, publicity bibles, company budget details, along with celebrity aliases used to hide themselves from the public.
December 9: Malware was found circulating using leaked Sony Pictures security certificates. Hackers warn Sony not to release the film “The Interview,” stating “we again warn you to immediately stop the release of this terrorist film.” The FBI does not believe the attacks are linked to North Korea.
Emails from Sony Pictures executives regarding the canceled Steve Jobs movie have been leaked.
December 10: Reports suggest that Sony Pictures is attempting to disrupt torrent downloads by creating fake "seeds" that overload the torrent clients of those attempting to download the company's films.
December 11: The Verge reports that Sony Pictures has been hacked since February.
December 12: Fusion reports that if you download Sony Pictures data you could find the FBI at your door. Recode also reported that the company was aware of the security flaws before the attack.
The Verge reveals a massive operation called “Project Goliath” that used Google as a vehicle to crack down on piracy. After constant pressure from the MPAA despite huge progress, Google refused to cooperate with them.
December 13: Sony Pictures is reportedly canceling new film releases as it cannot process payments at this time. Hackers release more data and promise an even bigger “Christmas gift.”
We are preparing for you a Christmas gift.
The gift will be larger quantities of data.
And it will be more interesting.
The gift will surely give you much more pleasure and put Sony Pictures into the worst state.
Please send an email titled "Merry Christmas" at the addresses below to tell us what you want in our Christmas gift.
