That Huge Sony Hack May Have Been North Korea Retaliating Against James Franco And Seth Rogen

from the wait...really? dept

You may have heard recently that Sony Pictures experienced what the company called a "system disruption" and what everyone else referred to as "Oh, look, Sony employees are completely locked out of their own computers." In place of a normal, working computer, Sony employees found poetic words and subtle imagery. Just kidding, it looked like an amateurish metal band CD insert artist vomited a splash page all over the screen.

It's fairly likely that the GOP claiming responsibility for the hack wasn't Karl Rove in his mother's basement and there was little early speculation on who they in fact were, beyond the "Guardians of Peace" name the hackers claimed. While it's not yet confirmed, reports are that the internal investigation Sony is conducting is eyeing none other than North Korea.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is exploring the possibility that hackers working on behalf of North Korea, perhaps operating out of China, may be behind a devastating attack that brought the studio’s network to a screeching halt earlier this week, sources familiar with the matter tell Re/code. The timing of the attack coincides with the imminent release of “The Interview,” a Sony film that depicts a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. The nation’s ever-belligerent state propaganda outlets have threatened “merciless retaliation” against the U.S. and other nations if the film is released.

Oh, North Korea. Look, if this was you, I'll certainly agree that forcing anyone to look at that garish screenshot above likely qualifies as "merciless retaliation," but I dare say it's probably not going to be all that effective. And should you be found out to be behind this, having the entire planet laugh at your complete lack of sense of humor probably doesn't take the sting out of the fact that you can't feed your own people, despite having a self-proclaimed necro-deity still technically heading up the government.

And to have this reaction over a Hollywood film and then add your own cliffhanger is downright ironic.

"Hostile forces" are casting blame on North Korea, said a spokesman for the country's mission at the United Nations, according to the Reuters news agency. "I kindly advise you to just wait and see."

In the meantime, this is generating so much free publicity for The Interview, one wonders if Pyongyang is serving as a Sony marketing consultant.

Admittedly, whoever did do the hack seems to have really shaken up Sony Pictures (which appears to have had almost no real security at all), as it is rumored to have resulted in the leak of a few upcoming movies and a treasure trove of HR info, including some embarrassing info. Whether or not it's North Koreans angry about a Rogen/Franco flick, or something else, it's not making anyone look very good right now.

Filed Under: guardians of peace, hack, james franco, north korea, seth rogen
Companies: sony, sony pictures