2 Dec – After having dealt with a hack attack since last week and seeing four of its unreleased movies being distributed freely online, Sony Pictures has had it. Sony has pulled out the big guns, enlisting the help of FBI to track down the hackers known as Guardian of Peace. However, even this was not enough to deter #GOP as they have just revealed the salaries of the company's 17 executives who make at least USD1 million a year, according to Deadline.
The attack started on 24 November 2014, during which the company had to be shut down and its employees had to work from home as no one was allowed to connect to the company's corporate network. A bizarre message had appeared on the frozen computer screens warning Sony to heed the hackers' demands.
Five of Sony's movies were leaked online following the hack, including Brad Pitt-starrer "Fury", which opened at number 1 in North American cinemas on 17 October 2014. It has so far collected USD 472,819 in Malaysia and USD171 million worldwide. Another four are movies that have yet to be released: 2014's "Annie", "Still Alice" and "Mr. Turner" as well as 2015's "To Write Love on Her Arms". Variety reports that according to piracy-tracking firm Excipio, as of 30 November 2014 "Fury" has been downloaded illegally for more than 1.2 million times, "Annie" 206,000, "Still Alice" 103,832, "Mr. Turner" 63,379 and "To Write Love on Her Arms" 19,946 times. Several media sites have reported that North Korea is being investigated for the hack, as the government of the country had previously expressed dissatisfaction over the upcoming Sony Pictures film, "The Interview" which involves the assassination of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.