The notion that North Korea pulled off the digital calamity that has taken down Sony’s network is ridiculous. Unless you can imagine a team of tubby despots conniving and plotting around a conference table a la “Ocean’s Eleven,” then abandon that thought and get real. I can’t see North Korea caring about a Seth Rogen movie; on the other hand, it is easier to understand the rage of the freshly unemployed whose new priorities include maneuvering through the morass that is California unemployment and getting back at their bosses (not necessarily in that order).
Revenge would be easy with Sony’s perforated infrastructure.
It’s no secret that Sony’s security sucks. The irony is that the PlayStation platform that Sony developed and fostered took their own facilities down. When your platform serves a network of pre- and post-pubescent geeks who compete with each other on who can break code and breach security, you are inviting a systems hack. It happened in 2011, and the result was the release of millions of customers “data.” According to cybersecurity experts, the PlayStation hack wasn’t “all that sophisticated” and neither was the recent hack of Sony Studios.
So you have to ask: Was the door unlocked and left open, and if it was, who did it? Here’s a clue: Included in the first wave of documents that were released was a spreadsheet listing Sony Pictures employees who were fired or laid off in 2014. Along with that document were other documents that listed employee personal data including social security numbers, payroll data, and — most damning — a document that was titled “Total Cost to Sever,” which calculated the estimates of costs involved in terminating individuals’ employment. Attached to that was a script for an in-house Sony recruiting video that has been called “cheesy” and served to embarrass HR executive George Rose and Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton, who called it “The Greatest Recruiting Video Ever.”
With the release of news that Sony was hacked, the simplest reason would have led to the simplest solution. However, we’re not into simple — we’re into drama, and we are being played.
Those that brought the Sony network down knew something that came at no surprise to many of us who complain about the skewed vision of mainstream journalism. The data breach that featured the employment and HR data would never be the main story. What could have been two simple dots to connect — recently fired studio techies who had motive and what appears as a revenge play — was downplayed in deference to what Amy Pascal thought of Angelina Jolie. The fact that Sony put personal and proprietary data on easily cracked Microsoft Word docs, and these docs were knowingly vulnerable by IT staff who retained pirated copies of Microsoft Office, was largely overlooked. The lead story for a week was all about a high-powered female studio head who dared to write emails to friends and associates that any one of us would not think twice about. Amy Pascal was never the story. Amy Pascal is responsible for hundreds of millions, nay billions, for commerce and thousands of jobs. Amy Pascal and the yentas she works with only served as a smokescreen to hide the real story.
We are being played by the media, and possibly by the White House. Calls for retaliation against North Korea based on the FBI’s assurances have probably led to a takedown of North Korea’s Internet on Monday, Dec. 23. Are we going to wage a cyberwar over a movie?
We should be used to going to war based on lies by now. Bush lied about WMDs and then, based on that lie, marched our children, brothers and sisters into Iraq. This left a void of power that ushered in the likes of ISIS — and now look where we are. If you think that the war machine is any different with Obama at the helm, think again. Once again, our collective hackles are being raised and our appetites whetted for revenge — this time not on the promise of nonexistent WMDs, but in defense of a movie.
No parent in their right mind would allow their child to sit in a crowded theater to see this film. We are reminded of the 2012 mass shooting in a theater in Aurora. Nuts who see themselves as belonging to North Korean hit squads are already trolling Facebook pages and calling Moviefone for screening times.
In typical Maury Povitch fashion, the DNA report on the deadbeat dad’s connection to the little forgotten cherub is being held aloft while the audience salivates on who is the father. In this case, the chubby loins of North Korea’s supreme leader holds no potency. The Sony hack is a child with many baby-mommies and -daddies — and they all live closer to Culver City than Pyongyang.
Sony Hack Attack Timeline: From First Cyberbreach and Leaks to 'The Interview' Release (Photos)
As Sony CEO Michael Lynton announces his resignation, let's look back at one of the darkest periods of his tenure: the Sony hack.
News of a massive cyberbreach at Sony Pictures began leaking out in late November. Later reports indicated the studio had been warned weeks earlier.
NOV. 24: The hacker group identified as #GOP purportedly took over computers and hijacked Twitter accounts, sending out ominous messages to Sony staff. Read more.
NOV. 25: Sony Pictures employees greeted with an ominous image on their computer screens when they tried to log in for the work week. Read more.
NOV. 28: Sony struggles to fight #GOP hackers who claim stolen data includes stars’ IDs, budget and contract figures. Read more.
NOV. 30: Investigators know North Korea is unhappy with comedy "The Interview," which makes light of an attempt to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-un. Read more.
DEC. 1: Studio has made progress in restoring critical business systems, insider says at the time. Later reports dispute this. Read more.
DEC. 1: Hack analysis: How much will this ‘nightmare’ cost? Damage to Sony’s reputation will be key in determining the cybercrime’s toll. Read more.
DEC. 1: Blogger posts a spreadsheet of the top 17 executives earning $1 million or more. Read more.
DEC. 1: North Korea denies involvement. A government official previously teased “wait and see.” Read more.
DEC. 2: Sony bosses Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal address "malicious criminal acts" in a company-wide memo to staff. Read more.
DEC. 2: Media outlets obtain spreadsheets including social security numbers and detailed performance reviews for 3,000 Sony Pictures employees. Read more.
DEC. 2: When asked if North Korea was involved, a spokesman for the communist country’s government replied, “Wait and see.” Read now.
DEC. 3: Salaries of ‘The Interview’ stars Seth Rogen and James Franco revealed in Sony hacking leak. Read more.
DEC. 4: Hollywood studios ramp up security in wake of Sony hack. Read more.
DEC. 4: North Korea reportedly denies involvement in Sony hack attack. Read more.
DEC. 4: Sylvester Stallone, Judd Apatow are among 47,000 employees compromised in latest leak. Read more.
DEC. 6: Sony Hack Attack "unparalleled," says head of cybersecurity firm. Read more.
DEC. 7: Sony hackers reportedly worked from Thailand and may have North Korean ties. Internet leaks of confidential data traced to a five-star Bangkok hotel. Read more.
DEC. 8: Sony hackers demand ‘The Interview’ pulled: "Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism." Read more.
DEC. 8: FBI plan to hold employee cybersecurity awareness briefings on the Sony studio lot. Read more.
DEC. 8: Hackers sent top Sony execs a threatening email days before the attack. Read more.
DEC. 8: Hack exposes celebrity aliases for Tom Hanks, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and more in latest leak. Read more.
DEC. 8: Hackers leak sensitive email of Sony execs Amy Pascal and Steven Mosko. Read more.
DEC. 9: Hackers reveal animated ‘Spider-Man’ comedy in the works. Read more.
DEC. 9: Heated emails between Sony Chief Amy Pascal and Scott Rudin leaked. Read more.
DEC. 10: FBI says attack so sophisticated that it would have gotten past "90 percent" of security firms. Read more.
DEC. 11: Sony hack attack theory suggests North Korea was involved but had insider help. Read more.
DEC. 11: Amy Pascal and Scott Rudin apologize for racially insensitive remarks about President Obama. Read more.
DEC. 11: Kevin Hart responds to leaked Sony emails calling him a ‘whore.’ Read more.
DEC. 11: Hackers flash disturbing new warning on staffers’ computers. Read more.
DEC. 11: Amy Pascal talks to Sharon Waxman about whether she's so damaged she can no longer lead Sony (exclusive). Read more.
DEC. 11: Sony had evidence of server breach as early as February. Read more.
DEC. 12: Sony orders its name removed from "The Interview" marketing materials. Read more.
DEC. 12: Sony arm Crackle pulls hacker movie "The Throwaways." Read more.
DEC. 14: Sony demands media stop publishing stolen data. Read more.
DEC. 14: Producers reveal hackers stole James Bond "Spectre" script. Read more.
DEC. 15: Lawyer's letter confirms "The Interview" was the cause of hack attack. Read more.
DEC. 16: Sony hackers threaten 9/11-style attack on theaters that show "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 16: James Franco and Seth Rogen withdraw from press interviews for "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 16: Sony tells theaters they can pull "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 16: Carmike theater chain drops "The Interview" after hacker terror threat. Read more.
DEC. 16: ArcLight Cinemas drops "The Interview" amid hacker threats. Read more.
DEC. 16: Sony CEO Michael Lynton's emails leaked. Read more.
DEC. 16: Former Sony employees file class-action suit against studio. Read more.
DEC. 16: Landmark Theaters cancels "Interview" New York premiere. Read more.
DEC. 17: Bow Tie Cinemas drops "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 17: Judd Apatow says, "I am going to 'The Interview.'" Read more.
DEC. 17: Rosie O'Donnell says she will not see "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 17: Five major theater chains pull "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 17: Sony Pictures cancels release of "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 17: Hollywood outraged at decision to pull "The Interview." Read more.
DEC. 17: Per CNN, US Government to announce North Korea was behind Sony hack. Read more.
DEC. 17: What are U.S. options if North Korea is confirmed as cyberterrorist? Read more.
DEC. 17: Steve Carell’s North Korea movie "Pyongyang" canceled in wake of Sony hack. Read more.
DEC. 17: Rob Lowe, Judd Apatow, Michael Moore and others express their outrage on social media. Read more.
DEC. 18: Paramount thwarts plans by theaters to replace ‘The Interview’ with "Team America: World Police" Read more.
DEC. 18: Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Rep. Peter King and Colin Powell weigh in on the cancelation of "The Interview. Read more.
DEC. 19: FBI officially implicates North Korea in Sony hack Attack. Read more.
DEC. 19: New Sony leak reveals 50 scripts from Michael Lynton’s inbox. Read more.
DEC. 20: North Korea denies involvement in hack attack, warns U.S and offers to join joint probe. Read more.
DEC. 20: Sony deletes "The Interview’s" social media profiles in wake of hack, movie’s cancellation. Read more.
DEC. 20: Mike Myers returns to Saturday Night Live, reprising his Dr. Evil role from “Austin Powers” to deliver some advice regarding the hack. See more.
DEC. 20: RNC chair Reince Priebus sends a letter urging the CEOs of 10 major theater chains to screen “The Interview.” Read more.
DEC. 21: President Obama insists on CNN that the Sony hack is "cyber vandalism," not "act of war." Watch more.
Dec. 21: Sony attorney says "The Interview" will be distributed despite hackers’ threats. Watch more.
DEC. 22: Security experts register doubts about North Korean involvement in hack. Read more.
DEC. 22: Sony threatens Twitter with lawsuit if additional "stolen information" appears on the service. Read more.
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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.
Winner of the Los Angeles Press Club's best blog award and a Southern California Journalism Award for his HollyBlogs, as well as an award for the Facebook group that helped to muscle the salvation of long-term care for the motion picture and television industry, Stellar's "vituperative blog on TheWrap" (Vanity Fair) focuses on issues related to the motion picture and entertainment industry. Stellar is founder of The Man/Kind Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to fight religious and cultural intolerance through the arts while building bridges of tolerance for all people. Stellar lives in Woodland Hills, California, with his wife of over 30 years, Nuala, and much too much Beatles memorabilia.