Report: Sony Leak Traced To A Bangkok Hotel
According to Bloomberg, the source of the huge Sony Pictures leak has been traced to a five-star hotel in Thailand’s capital. Leaching off of the St. Regis hotel’s high-speed wi-fi, the hackers, currently believed the work of the North Korea-linked group DarkSeoul, carried out their devastating and embarrassing attack, leaking 47,000 SSNs and other sensitive information.
The source, who remains unnamed in Bloomberg’s report, says it’s currently unknown if the hack was carried in a guest room or in a public area. Cybersecurity experts traced the “digital footprints” of the hackers to this location though these same experts are not ruling out the possibility that the leak was carried out remotely and only taking advantage of the hotel’s open network. Starwood Hotels & Resorts owns and operates the specific hotel that was used in the attack but has yet to issue any official statement regarding these claims.
Of course, the exact reasons why the attack occurred remains unclear, but it seems to be more a personal grudge than an attempt to make money, according to Bloomberg. Earlier today, North Korea denied allegations that they were involved but called the cyberattack a “righteous deed.” If the these attacks are deemed state-sponsored, it would definitely be a page turner in the big book of cyber warfare.
The only people attempting to lighten the mood surrounding these hacks are also the two people at the center of it-namely Seth Rogen and James Franco, staring in the film “The Interview,” which protrays the attempted assassination of Kim Jong-un. The duo appeared on SNL together last night to get “out in the open” all of the embarrassing information that was bound to leak soon.
Although these hackers probably have no interest in Rogen and Franco’s nearly nude Christmas cards, it’s still unclear how this crippling leak will impact Sony and cyber security in the future.