Sony Hackers Threaten US Media Outlet, Further Press Attacks Possible Says FBI

A Joint Intelligence brief says the Guardians of Peace have targeted an American media outlet and may hit more news organizations

Sony hackers Guardians of Peace have expanded their threats to an American news organization, according to a memo from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

While the FBI did not name the specific outlet, a Joint Intelligence briefing summarizing the Sony breach indicated that threats could extend to a media organization. In the FBI’s memo, they refer to Sony as “USPER1” and the media outlet as “USPER2.”

First reported by website The Intercept, the memo’s intent was “to provide information on the late-November 2014 cyberintrusion targeting USPER1 and related threats concerning the planned release of the movie, ‘The Interview.’ Additionally, these threats have extended to USPER2 — a news media organization,” the memo said.

An earlier version of this story linked to reports indicating CNN had been identified as the media outlet facing a threat from hackers. However, the FBI later debunked the theory as a hoax.

In terms of who is responsible for the Sony hack, the FBI continues to point a finger at North Korea, despite ongoing contradictory claims from private security firms.

“The FBI has concluded the Government of North Korea is responsible for the theft and destruction of data on the network of Sony Pictures Entertainment,” the FBI said on Tuesday, echoing earlier findings. “Attribution to North Korea is based on intelligence from the FBI, the U.S. intelligence community, DHS, foreign partners and the private sector.”

Jordan Chariton contributed to this report.

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