Sony pulls The Interview after US officials confirm North Korea's involvement in the cyberattack

[Himanshu Arora]

Sony Pictures Entertainment has pulled the release of its upcoming film, The Interview, after reportedly confirming that the North Korean government was behind the recent hack attack that brought the company to a standstill.

Sony’s decision also came after the country’s top five theater chains, including Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas, and Cineplex Entertainment, decided not to play the film following the hackers' threat of attacking movie theaters showing it.

"Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film," the company said in a statement.

Earlier, the officials reportedly said that although the cyber attack originated outside North Korea, they have ample reasons to believe that those responsible for it were acting at the behest of Pyongyang.

According to a Washington Post report, investigators’ claim about the involvement of North Korea is based on the finding that the malware used in the Sony hack is similar to malware the rogue nuclear state used in cyber attacks against South Korean banks in recent years. In addition, the report also noted that some of the malware was written using the Korean language.

The Wall Street Journal said that people behind the cyber attack are suspected to be part of the North Korean government hacking team known as Unit 121 in the General Bureau of Reconnaissance -- the same team that’s previously been linked to cyberattacks against targets in South Korea.

In order to fake the apparent origin of their attacks, the hackers routed the traffic through computers in as many as seven countries, including the United States, Thailand, and Bolivia.

Although the US government has remained tight lipped on the matter until now, UsaToday is reporting that the Obama administration could come up with an official announcement today.

For those unaware, The Interview, which features James Franco and Seth Rogen, is a comedy movie about two journalists who are sent to North Korea to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un. It was scheduled for a December 25 release.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/59191-sony-pulls-interview-after-us-officials-confirm-north.html

 

[Guest]

Is that not losing your freedom of speech and bowing down to terrorist demands? Thought that was a no no.
Still if they really would have bought bloodshed at Xmas seems wise.
Maybe someone will upload it to a torrent site when Sony geniously leave a copy on another not very well protected computer.

 

[JakeT]

Again, terror/rists wins!

Where is the infamous Anonymous hacker group now? Why aren't we seeing these guys do something good and hacking into north Korean computers to get the truth? That would certainly give them some much needed credibility. We want the truth but we also understand that getting it through legal means is close to impossible so let's hack them before they hack us.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Sony’s decision also came after the country’s top five theater chains, including Regal Entertainment, AMC Entertainment, Cinemark, Carmike Cinemas, and Cineplex Entertainment, decided not to play the film following the hackers' threat of attacking movie theaters showing it.

The theaters didn't decided not to show it because they were scared of being bombed, but because they didn't want anyone to worry about it and stay home. Christmas is a big day for the theaters and there are other movies coming out that same day that probably are good and the theaters didn't want anyone to skip watching other movies just because The Interview was in the same place.

Also, this is a terrible precedent to set for terrorists around the world. I expect next Black Friday we'll have threats against Walmart etc etc. This is just a crappy movie that people probably wouldn't have seen anyway... next time it might actually matter.

 

[Uncle Al]

Sad to see Sony cave in this way. If the hackers had any real power, the theater's would be attacked anyway just for the shock effect and press coverage. North Korea is usually nothing but talk; at this juncture our intelligence agencies should be given a green light for a hands off approach to use our own cyber units and reak havoc on them any way we can. We have the capabilities; holding back only affirms to them we won't use them. Teddy Roosevelt is often remembered for his famous quote "speak softly, but carry a big stick" but we need a little of the US Army's philosophy of "Find them, fix them, f*** them, then forget them" .....

 

[Guest]

Remember that this isn't the US government giving in. If a company is targeted by a terrorist group, it should do whatever is in its best interest. This was a politically motivated attack, not an aim to hurt Sony's wallet. Any statement about the terrorists "winning" is wrong, since the US government is not Sony.

 

[JohnCB]

Plain stupid

 

[Guest]

"Atrocity and terror are not political weapons, and to those who would use them, your day is over. We will never negotiate. We will no longer tolerate and we will no longer be afraid. It's your turn to be afraid."

 

[Guest]

We want the truth???
We can't handle the truth!!!

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Remember that this isn't the US government giving in. If a company is targeted by a terrorist group, it should do whatever is in its best interest. This was a politically motivated attack, not an aim to hurt Sony's wallet. Any statement about the terrorists "winning" is wrong, since the US government is not Sony.

yeah, it's not like the President went behind Congress' back to release five Guantanamo bay prisoners to get back one of our POWs, thereby marking the first time in US history the Pres has given into terrorist demands.
This was just a company (and a Japanese one at that) and it was only a movie that probably isn't any good anyway. But it's a slippery slope... when Income tax started in the US the first tax rate was 1% and look where that went....

 

[treetops]

Remember that this isn't the US government giving in. If a company is targeted by a terrorist group, it should do whatever is in its best interest. This was a politically motivated attack, not an aim to hurt Sony's wallet. Any statement about the terrorists "winning" is wrong, since the US government is not Sony.

yeah, it's not like the President went behind Congress' back to release five Guantanamo bay prisoners to get back one of our POWs, thereby marking the first time in US history the Pres has given into terrorist demands.
This was just a company (and a Japanese one at that) and it was only a movie that probably isn't any good anyway. But it's a slippery slope... when Income tax started in the US the first tax rate was 1% and look where that went....

Prisoner exchange during war is actually very common.

I think this is just a publicity stunt, you know what they say any publicity is good pub.

 

[Axle Greese]

It's not a publicity stunt. Sony is run my cowards.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

We're all sick of NK.... I wish our coward of a president would just send a bunch of B2 bombers over and just bomb the crap out of all their government buildings. Just, go away NK... just go away.

 

[captaincranky]

We're all sick of NK.... I wish our coward of a president would just send a bunch of B2 bombers over and just bomb the crap out of all their government buildings. Just, go away NK... just go away.

I said the, exact thing in another thread, albeit with the tern, "nuke" in play. I say turn Pyongyang into a combo parking lot / nuclear waste dump, and let these hackers go over and look for bodies as their, "community service", sentence.

As far as this administration's primary objectives go, what the hell did anybody expect, other than a massive printing of money to bribe the banking, "industry", and a whole nuther crap load of money spent on more social entitlements?

 

[Guest]

I can see their point. Just imagine if in the unlikely event a theater was attacked that was showing it and 200 people died; would it have been worth it over a movie? me thinks not.

 

[Guest]

Dont underestimate North Korea. Their "Fizzle" in all were probably just a smaller warhead. ( http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/NKtest_INMM07_Hui.pdf. 2006 )

If even one movie theater was attacked on US soil , and North Korea was "CONFIRMED" (woah one of our
"enemies" go figure) then the US would have a new reason to start another war. With a Nuclear power who would have no problem using their nukes for anything their missiles could reach....(not america)

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Prisoner exchange during war is actually very common.

I think this is just a publicity stunt, you know what they say any publicity is good pub.

He gave Congress 24 hours notice on that prisoner exchange when he himself signed the law that said Congress must be given 30 days notice. But you're right, that actually is getting pretty common.

'Any news is good news' doesn't really apply anymore. It did back when the movie was still coming out because people could go see it. Now they can't, so there's no benefit to the news, good or bad. It's not a publicity stunt. A publicity stunt is when someone does something that really has no effect on anything besides getting them in the news. The Kardashians come to mind here. This is Sony still hurting from the hack, and not wanting to upset that psychotic dictator who lives a short few hundred miles across the sea of Japan.
NK is cRAzy. Check out this documentary, it's like a different planet.

 

[Axle Greese]

I can see their point. Just imagine if in the unlikely event a theater was attacked that was showing it and 200 people died; would it have been worth it over a movie? me thinks not.

That is the risk and responsibility of the people who choose to attend. It is not Sony's business to appease North Korea's disgustingly evil regime and its demented fellow travellers in order to protect us. It makes them feel powerful because they've won, thanks to the invertebrates running Sony.

 

[JakeT]

Remember that this isn't the US government giving in. If a company is targeted by a terrorist group, it should do whatever is in its best interest. This was a politically motivated attack, not an aim to hurt Sony's wallet. Any statement about the terrorists "winning" is wrong, since the US government is not Sony.

No idea why you felt you had to post this? Everyone knows Sony is a Japanese company. No mention of the US being targeted in the article or my post.

 

[tipstir]

SONY had to do that they though best to stop their STOCKs from going down more that it has. Protect STOCKs at all cost.