We've Got Hollywood Covered
|

Bangladesh Bank Heist Linked to 2014 Sony Hack, Cyber Security Firm Claims

”What initially looked to be an isolated incident at one Asian bank turned out to be part of a wider campaign,“ report says

Beatrice Verhoeven, PWS | May 13, 2016 @ 4:56 PM
Sony Pictures logo Paul Noble

The malware used in February’s $81 million heist at a Bangladesh Bank is linked to the 2014 Sony hack, according to a new report from cyber security firm BAE Systems.

“What initially looked to be an isolated incident at one Asian bank turned out to be part of a wider campaign,” the press release states, according to Reuters.

While BAE is not one of the security firms Bangladesh Bank hired to help after the heist, the security firm found malware by searching through archives that collect samples of malicious files.

Also Read: Sony Hack Revisited: Next Hollywood Cyber Attack Is Question of 'Not If But When'

The same malware was used in other cyber attacks as well, according to BAE, including an attack on a Vietnamese commercial bank, presumably making fraudulent transfer requests. A distinctive computer code was used to erase the tracks of hackers in the cyber attacks on the banks as well as on Sony.

The report claimed that the malware used to target the Bangladesh Bank had “the same unique characters” as software used in “Operation Blockbuster,” which was a campaign that dates back to at least 2009 and includes the Sony breach.

Similarities include encryption keys and names of programming elements, according to the report.

In November 2014, a hacker group going by the name of “Guardians of Peace” hacked into the network of Sony Pictures of Entertainment and released confidential data, including personal information about employees, emails between employees, information about executive salaries and copies of then-unreleased Sony films.

Also Read: How the Sony Hack Changed Hollywood: Fear, Ambivalence and 'Dose of Cold Water'

The hackers demanded the cancellation of the film, “The Interview,” a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un starring Seth Rogen and James Franco. In an effort to do damage control, Sony quickly pulled the movie, eventually releasing it on Netflix and select theaters. After evaluating the software, U.S. intelligence agencies determined North Korea was the source of the attack.

And in February, hackers issued five successful transactions via the SWIFT network totaling $101 million, withdrawn from a Bangladesh Back account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. However, $20 million of thatwas traced to Sri Lanka and has since been recovered. The heist sought to steal $951 million, but the New York bank blocked the remaining transactions amounting to an estimated $850 million.

Adrian Nish, BAE’s head of threat intelligence, told Reuters that the company had not determined who was behind the attacks. BAE also said that their report might be hit with scrutiny given that the White House has pinned the Sony attacks on North Korea.

Sony Hack Attack Timeline: From First Cyberbreach and Leaks to 'The Interview' Release (Photos)

  • Michael Lynton The Grill
  • sony hack email nightmare
  • Sony Pictures
  • Sony
  • James Franco, Seth Rogen, "The Interview"
  • James Franco, Seth Rogen
  • Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Sony Pictures
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • "hacked by #GOP" message found on Sony computers
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Tom Hanks
  • Amy Pascal, Steve Mosko of Sony
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • Sony Marketing Layoffs
  • Sony Pictures
  • Movie posters for the premiere of the film 'The Interview' at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, California on December 11, 2014. The film, starring US actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, is a comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-Un, played by Randall Park. North Korea has vowed 'merciless retaliation' against what it calls a 'wanton act of terror' -- although it has denied involvement in a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
  • The Throwaways
  • Skyfall Daniel Craig James Bond 25
  • sony hack email nightmare
  • ArcLight Cinemas
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • The Interview movie poster, Sony logo, President Obama
  • the interview hollywood tweets
  • Team America World Police
  • The Interview movie poster, Sony logo, President Obama
  • Mike Myers as Dr. Evil on "The Interview."
  • reince priebus chief of staff donald trump health care bill punt end zone football twitter
  • Sony attorney David Boies
  • sony hack email nightmare
1 of 68

As Sony CEO Michael Lynton prepares to exit, here’s TheWrap’s blow-by-blow of 2014’s devastating cyberattack on the studio

As Sony CEO Michael Lynton announces his resignation, let's look back at one of the darkest periods of his tenure: the Sony hack. 

View In Gallery