Sony Pictures Entertainment is still in the process of trying to recover from an apparent compromise of some of the company’s computer systems. The attack first came to light on Monday, and the extent of the incident is still emerging.
The compromise appears to affect just the networks at SPE, a division of Sony. Reports on Monday indicated that the attackers had compromised an unknown number of machines inside the company and displayed a message on the computers saying that the attack was the work of a group called #GOP, or Guardians of Peace. The message on the hacked machines said that the attackers had obtained SPE secrets and would expose them if some unspecified demands weren’t met.
SPE officials have said that they’re investigating an IT incident. An email to the company’s press office was returned with a message saying, “Our email system is currently experiencing a disruption.”
This is not the first time SPE or Sony has been the target of a major security incident. In 2011, attackers affiliated with the group LulzSec infiltrated SPE’s network and stole usernames and passwords of about 38,000 users. Earlier that year attackers had their way with the Sony PlayStation Network, an attack that affected more than 100 million users and kept PSN offline for more than a month.
Media reports say that the attackers who hit SPE this week may have leaked a large file containing sensitive information, including passwords.
Image from Flickr photos of Ian Muttoo.
