On November 24, 2014, the hacker group calling itself the Guardians of Peace publicly disclosed its intrusion into Sony Pictures Entertainment after deploying a Shamoon variant that rendered employee computers inoperable and erased parts of the studio’s infrastructure. Attackers had reportedly spent at least two months copying files before discovery, stealing employee and family information, executive salaries, Social Security numbers, medical details, emails, screenplays, and unreleased films. Sony notified employees on December 8 that personally identifiable information may have been accessed; C-SPAN reported that 47,000 unique Social Security numbers were stolen. Sony set aside $15 million for continuing damage in its first-quarter 2015 financials, and former employees filed four lawsuits alleging inadequate data protection.
The attackers demanded that Sony withdraw The Interview, a comedy depicting an assassination attempt against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. After December 16 threats invoking the September 11 attacks and warning theaters, Sony canceled the film’s December 18 premiere and planned December 25 wide release. President Barack Obama called the decision a mistake on December 19, while CEO Michael Lynton said theater chains had already withdrawn screenings. Sony later authorized roughly 300 independent theaters to show the film on December 23 and released it digitally on December 24. On December 19, the FBI formally attributed the attack to the North Korean government based on malware, techniques, and network evidence; North Korea denied responsibility. The breach also contributed to co-chair Amy Pascal’s decision to step down effective May 2015 and prompted Sony to strengthen its cybersecurity systems.
