Earlier today, Sony announced that it will cancel the theatrical release of ‘The Interview’ – a movie about the assassination of North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un. According to some, Sony was out of options. The Pongyang hackers threatened to launch attacks on studios that would screen the The Interview.
“The world will be full of fear,” the threat reads. “Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.” – GOP
In response to the threats and Sony’s decision to pull the movie, many are left disappointed. Not so much because they wanted to see the movie, but out of principle.
“With the Sony collapse, America has lost its first cyberwar. This is a very, very dangerous precedent,” wrote Newt Gingrich is a tweet – and he is not alone. Sony itself was disappointed that their hand was forced to cancel. “We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome,” read Sony statement.
Although it’s sort of a ‘public secret’ that North Korea was behind the attacks (of course, N. Korea denies it), Sony’s poor cybersecurity also played a key role. According to reports, a large part of Sony’s network was not properly secured and security incidents were not properly reported and dealt with.
The tragic Sony should be a warning to every company. Proper cybersecurity is a must. There is no room for errors.
