Sony Cancels Movie, US Confirms North Korea Involvement, but Were Bomb Threats Empty?
Also this evening, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced it was dropping its plans for a Dec. 25 release of The Interview — Sony’s upcoming comedy about assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. Sony had already canceled the film’s New York premiere yesterday, in response to hackers’ thinly veiled threats of physical violence at the event. The film’s stars, James Franco and Seth Rogen, have canceled all public appearances, and movie theaters are beginning to declare they will not show the film at all.
Yet were the warnings of physical violence empty threats?
The Guardians of Peace (GOP), the hacking group that has accepted responsibility for the massive cyberattacks against Sony Pictures Entertainment, told a reporter weeks ago that they were not backed by any nation-state, were not based in North Korea, and were not explicitly motivated by protesting The Interview. North Korea denied any role, and some security experts stated that there was no technical evidence to the contrary. Yet rumors about North Korea continued anyway.
Are the cyberattackers simply being opportunistic — using the rumors to create more mischief, draw more attention, and create more problems for Sony?
Probably, say some security experts.
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