Nork-ribbing flick The Interview AXED: Sony caves under hack terror 'menace' Sony Pictures has confirmed the inevitable and cancelled the December 25 launch of The Interview after most major theater chains refused to run it. "The ability of our guests to enjoy the entertainment they choose in safety and comfort is and will continue to be a priority for theater owners," said the National Association of …
"The ability of our guests to enjoy the entertainment they choose in safety and comfort is and will continue to be a priority for theater owners,"
Without the Sony launch, I guess that's taken care of then. I have a feeling (and sincerely hope) that the terrorist angle is just posturing, but I'll be watching the hackers for their next move as my personal choice of entertainment. (Sorry Sony, no royalties there.)
Obviously, the NSA's tracking everything that moves over the Internet, in order to prevent terrorism (cyber included), certainly did a lot to thwart that hacking & data theft at Sony, the world's largest cyber terrorism attack if the claims that as much as 100TB was stolen are true.
Obviously, the NSA's tracking everything that moves over the Internet, in order to prevent terrorism (cyber included), certainly did a lot to thwart that hacking & data theft at Sony, the world's largest cyber terrorism attack if the claims that as much as 100TB was stolen are true. ....The Man Who Fell To Earth
There would be a school of thought thinking of the possibility that the NSA are involved and experimenting in very deep and dark web waters of novel non-determinate consequences in a virtual strike against the airing of the notion that select political leader assassinations are a valid solution to global problems and austerity measures for the introduction and infusion of chaos into CHAOS for madness and mayhem .... for such leaders are the core drivers and architects of everyone's woes in such circumstances, are they not?
Indeed, is that not the default Western Five Eyes Way with remote killer drone target practice trying to take over Command and Control of foreign minds and alien assets in other time zones? It is though a real dumb program which unleashes countless crazy lone wolverine packs getting smarter information and more effective intelligence every day with orders and passions to server the gander as the goose. ....... for what you give, is what you get. Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am. And is that not perfectly fair and reasonable and fully to be expected and welcomed?
IT's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and why do y'all meekly accept it so and allow earnest arrogant fools to be the useless blunt ignorant tools that you perceive to lead and provide future guidance with chaos into CHAOS ..... Cloud Hosting Advanced Operating Systems. Are you crazy mad too and lacking SMARTR CyberIntelAIgent Service and Servers?
You do know there is always an App with Gateways which Mature and Cure for that? Yes?
"IT's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and why do y'all meekly accept it so and allow earnest arrogant fools to be the useless blunt ignorant tools that you perceive to lead and provide future guidance with chaos into CHAOS"
But isn't that just *society* as a whole? There is an argument that societies are just mass delusions that people buy into to live in a certain manner with a certain amount of prediction.
Pratchett was incredibly accurate. We choose not to see.
@ The Man who Fell to Earth
Probably another reason why cybersecurity should be moved out from under the NSA. They spend too much time figuring out how to hack everyone else, vs. protecting U.S. IT networks.
Unfortunately, we will probably now see other hacker collectives/state-sponsored hackers trying to stifle free speech and thought, now that The Interview has been forced out of the theaters.
Unfortunately, we will probably now see other hacker collectives/state-sponsored hackers trying to stifle free speech and thought, now that The Interview has been forced out of the theaters.
I expect as much once the sequel to Erin Brockovich is slated for release.
The only way to stand up to a bully is hit him as hard as you can in the mush. You might get some bruises, but keep it up and he'll go away eventually.
Caving to these morons will only make things worse over time and the stolen info will be released.
Grow a pair Sony. You might have made a few Bob releasing after all the free publicity. Now? Doubt it.
"The only way to stand up to a bully is hit him as hard as you can in the mush. You might get some bruises, but keep it up and he'll go away eventually."
Except when it backfires, he and his gang beat you into the hospital and rear-door you while they're at it and then escape prosecution because the leader's dad is the mayor and they know secrets that can topple several members of city council.
they DO have one. the most likely, considering one of the papers dislodged by the Nut Koreans referred to a MafIAA plan to freak the DNS servers as a piracy retort, would be to seed The Interview direct to torrents.
the Nut Koreans, wild and kicking out walls, would then wage war on the torrents.
so Sony wins in the end in their phantom war against the wrong guys, and the MafIAA would let them back in the club for liquid lunches.
Yourself for being a pawn in the terrorists Sony hating game?
Man up, see that YOU (and the media) have all been played for fools. Sony is no different to any other corporate, this could just as easilly been ANY large US corporate.
All this has done has shown how embarrassingly naieve and manipulatable most Americans are.
I am disappointed that theaters would fold and not show it. I am more disappointed that Sony are folding. Indeed, the cyber-terrorists have won and this sets a dangerous precedent.
What happened to my America where we would thumb our noses at such threats and go forth in full force just to spite the bastards? What would our countrymen on flight 93 say, who stood up and saved so many with their own sacrifice? How disappointed my grandfathers would be, who collectively fought in every war since the Revolution. What happened to our balls?
Anyway, initially, I was not going to see this movie but I decided that if Sony and my local theater would stand up for Right I would plonk down my $8.25 plus snacks to partake.
Well, if Sony is going to lose money by not showing it, maybe it will release to torrent.
If I was to make a guess, this is not Sony or the Theaters, it will be the insurance companies, they don't care about the threat as such, just the loss and they will have pulled all insurance, making it impossible for a business to show the movie :-(
While I agree with your overall sentiment, and think what the Flight 93 people did was heroic, they didn't risk their lives doing so. They acted because they knew they were going to die anyway, so they felt they had nothing to lose at that point.
Seems the majority of Americans are happy to hide in their houses if they're warned against sticking their noses outside. The Americans of a hundred years ago would have nearly to a one stuck their noses outside to thumb it at those making threats, and not let anyone tell them where they can go or what they can do. Guess our borders have been too safe for too long.
Don't remember who wrote it (probably Heinlein or Asimov) but I remember long ago reading a book about a future world where mankind had basically cured all disease, including old age, so the only way you could die was an accident or murder. The people became completely isolated from one another, since everyone was afraid of taking even the slightest risk of an accident and didn't want to take the risk of being around another person, since they might have harm done to them. Those sci-fi greats could be really on the mark sometimes...
@Salts If that was true, surely the theatres could have appealed to the government. Or gone public with the reason and tried to shame the insurers into changing the decision.
I don't want to American-bash here - I'm not entirely sure that Britain is any better - but especially coming on top of the farcical panic over Ebola, it is creating the impression that modern America is pretty gutless. Not perhaps the best image for a superpower.
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See, I'd agree with that, but Sony? It'll be a cold day in Pyongyang before they release something free when they could monetize it. It's not so much "free speech" as "valuable product", y'see.
I'd love to watch the exec's faces when some intern suggests that they put it up for torrent. :)
Just to make a point that thugs and threats cannot win the day. It's a little thing, but if we all did little things from time to time, perhaps the world would be a better place.
I am not in any way claiming that this action will make the world a better place, mind you. Just a bit of passing whimsy on my part.
GJC
That seems far more likely. I dont see the terrorism threat at all. "Hackers" have never delivered physicle violence, they dont want to leave their bedrooms. Even if its Norks - they havent got the reach to inflict violence on NY cinema goers. If it was that other bunch of psychos.... that'd be a differrent story
"no great loss" <--- ???
Ahh, yes, nothing like professional critics with their solid, historic contributions to ... ummm... art and culture? If you base your decision to watch a film, listen to a record, or go see an art show, on a critical review by paid haters, you're missing out on a whole lot of beauty.
This could be the best-selling DVD of all time…if Sony were smart.
And if the NORKs were smart, they'd fund their own movie of the assassination of Barak Obama, staring Jackie Chan and Lucy Liu.
But neither organization is smart, which goes to show that…drum roll…two dumbs don't make a bright.
Are you being sarcastic? If so, your presentation is poor. It's a major stretch to interpret your comment as some sort of free speech claim rather than as a racist attack on President Obama.
Are you trying to say the terrorists should have come up with millions of dollars to fund their own assassination movie, or, as seems to be the case, you are saying you would approve of and presumably pay to see a movie about the assassination of Obama?
There have been movies about plots to assassinate the president before. The only difference is they didn't use the same/likeness of the current president.
Not sure why you claim it is a "racist" attack. Would it be OK if Romney was president and he suggested Sony funding a film about assassinating him? You couldn't call that racist, so what would your objection be then? You seem to be playing the race card a bit quickly here, maybe you should wait until someone actually says something racist first.
The NORKs did this, basically, last year:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/9939715/N-Korea-video-shows-Washington-under-attack.html
"another [...] depicted US soldiers and President Barack Obama burning in the flames of a nuclear blast."
This could be the best-selling DVD of all time…if Sony were smart.
Yes but since a lot of these DVDs are made in cheap factories in the far east and printed by a machine what if the North Koreans hacked the machines producing it and the DVD release of the film was made with a rootkit on the disc, so people playing it on a computer got infected!?
What this means is that EVERY future movie project will be considered in terms of the risk of a "release-killing terrorist threat". Anything that is too provocative or risky will never even be made because the studio will be afraid of losing the entire investment.
In addition, you can look forward to the terrorists pushing the line to see exactly which movies they can censor. Well, "look forward" is too soft. Rather you can count on it. The precedent has been clearly established, even if the movie itself was a muddled message.
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice ≠ (Beer | Speech)
You do NOT have the freedom to choose to watch this movie, so this is a place where free speech crosses into the freedom area.
Is now? You just noticed it today? That was proven in the response to 9/11, where freedoms were taken from us and and the sheep applauded it in every poll I saw. Even now look at all the people who say Snowden is a traitor and don't see anything wrong with the government spying on everything and everyone so long as it saves one person from a terrorist attack.
If only the Soviets had known they could have beaten us not through nukes, tanks and propaganda, but by simply making us so afraid we'd willingly hand over our freedoms. I'll bet the old guard hardliners that are still alive in the Moscow nursing homes are kicking themselves to sleep every night.
Thing is, at least the Soviets were reasonably rational and wouldn't have fired the nukes unless actually threatened. That's why Mutual Assured Destruction worked with them.
With the Norks...you're not so sure. Kim Jong Un may well consider World War III preferable to the movie being released. What do you do against a madman with no regard for life and his finger pressed on a Dead Man's Switch?
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And if the criminals are backed by a rogue state and know where you and your family live and have threatened to blow up your house while you sleep? That's the level of the threat being posed right now: it's getting personal.
Also, don't forget that the Norks carry what's considered the ultimate trump card. Even if they don't turn nukes on America, there's always Seoul to worry about. A target that close they don't need to shoot a missile; it can just be smuggled in Sum of All Fears-style.
And if the criminals are backed by a rogue state and know where you and your family live and have threatened to blow up your house while you sleep? That's the level of the threat being posed right now: it's getting personal.
This just shows the irrational level of fear to which America has sunk.
Come ON! There is no likelihood of this threat being acted upon, the resources necessary to carry out the threat make it impossible, even for "a rogue state".
Not thinking so much the US (though if they did, think a high-altitude blast over South Dakota--just ONE EMP's bound to be murder). But what about Seoul? That alone could be enough to seriously destabilize the region, would be pretty easy for them to pull off (Seoul's within artillery range of the DMZ), and recall Kim Jong Un isn't exactly what one would call the rational sort.
"Come ON! There is no likelihood of this threat being acted upon, the resources necessary to carry out the threat make it impossible, even for "a rogue state"."
Three guys with fertilizer, diesel, and a rent-a-truck demolished a major building in Oklahoma City 20 years ago, without any state backing. A bunch of guys turned airliners into fuel bombs in 2001. The Target and Home Depot hacks and now Sony Pictures (perhaps even the mother company). Who are we to prove what's possible and what's not in today's society?
"If you change your behaviour based on the actions of criminals then the criminals have won anyway.If you change your behaviour based on the actions of criminals then the criminals have won anyway."
So the criminals win when you use a firewall or an anti-virus/anti-malware app? Sounds to me like a pretty stupid point of view.
The Norks are lucky to have electricity, let alone Internet access. No, if the West wants the Nork proles to see the movie, it'll have to be smuggled in on DVD via South Korea's North resistance groups.
As for canning the movie altogether, did they say outright that this was a permanent cancellation or just an "until further notice" postponement meant to delay the movie until after the hectic holiday period? Or it could be a bait and switch. Lie about delaying the move than release it anyway.
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The entire thing has been a fake - there were no hackers!!
It was a put-up job by Sony just so they could have an excuse to can such an apparently sh£te film.
No doubt they'll be able to write it off as a tax loss or even make a claim on some dodgy insurance rather than release the film and have it dive at the box office.
If the terrorists are effectively banning a movie using 'advanced technology', then show it using advanced technoogy :
Get a movie theater owner in a given town to organise a 'flashmob' whose point is to go to see an immediate showing of the movie. No chance of the turrists being in, say, Des Moines, Iowa.
And even if a terrorist WAS in a position to attend such a screening, the organisation of a bomb etc.
would have to be very fast indeed and get past heightened cinema security.
And if it turns out they have targeting ability that's even faster than a flash mob, able to target the movie before it finishes playing no matter where in the US it is?
Or maybe they just blow a nuke 25 miles over South Dakota and cripple the whole US in one shot, no aiming necessary?
My family went to a show London at the height of the IRA's mainland bombing campaign when they were targetting theatres and cinemas. The overwhelming attitude in the country was "We will not let the terrorists make us dance to their tune!"
Now some skiddies somewhere shout BOO! and everybody runs and hides under the bed clothes...
"That was before H&S and the litigation lawyers took over world though."
Amen to that, even the SAS, Delta and the like are doing risk analysis now. It is what happens when the H&S virus takes over, sense goes out of the door and anybody above the rank of major is a minor politician.
As for lawyers, grrrrrr, journalists, grrrrrrrrrrr
Nurse, I will come quietly may I have my medication early on this bright sunny afternoon.
I totally agree. I also lived in Beirut for a while in the eighties and we carried on regardless although I was tooled up to the eyeballs.
The US are basically risk averse in the extreme and sadly the UK seems to be going that way as well.
Now that they have given in to terrorists, the terrorists just need to push the envelope and see what else they can get away with.
I am appalled that they have given in to threats. You could almost call it "cowardice in the face of the enemy". Hey Mr Sony, not exactly the Shogun spirit, is it ? They wouldn't have stood for this nonsense in old Japan, y'know.
However I also don't approve of making films about killing living people, even His Corpulence. It is pretty much an invitation to fantacist assassins, bit like that film where Gary Glitter was executed. And releasing it on Xmas day is in poor taste.
"And releasing it on Xmas day is in poor taste."
Ever thought it was intentional to tweak the Norks' noses? Consider: the Kims have hated displays of Christmas and have frequently rallied against a tree display just that gets raised just south of the DMZ (currently not present but due to be replaced). IOW, the Norks are Grinches. Airing a film critical of the Norks on a day they HATE would've been a double-whammy.
The film is tasteless, because the Canadian citizen who conceived the film and shot it in Vancouver Canada is tasteless. The Director, Evan Goldberg is also a Canadian and his sensibilities are tasteless. Sony, a Japanese company, with its headquarters in Japan, should have known better, because they should know what Asian finds offensive. They approved the project.
Kim Jong Il was a huge hollywood film fan (over 20,000 DVDs) and, despite being a ruthless dictator crushing his own people, apparently had a sense of humour. He probably enjoyed parts of Team America, given it lampooned America almost as much as the Norks.
Kim Jong Un is a fat spoilt kid in comparison.
We live on a planet that is continually at war. We need adult diplomacy to make all our lives better. Does anyone think that a low brow film, with revolting insulting situations would not be offensive?
Everyone should know however that Seth Rogen is Canadian actor writer, not American. The Directer Evan Goldberg is Canadian, not American. The film was shot in Vancouver Canada. The money came from Sony which is a Japanese conglomerate based in Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Rogen
I would have probably paid no interest in this movie and let it slide by pretty much unnoticed, but as a direct result of the actions of these hackers, I'm now intent on watching this movie the first opportunity I get...
I wonder if this was the hackers intention? to launch a film that would have been pretty run of the mill into the spotlight where eventually the viewing figures will go through the roof! If so its one of the most effective cunning ploys i've seen to boosting film viewing figures massively.
If this isn't the irony play of the year, I don't know what is.
Sony - vandalized people's computer with a root kit several year ago. Also large corporation used to getting their way and freedom to engage in extra-legal activities as well as mucho threats and intimidation in league with the MPAA. (as reported here and elsewhere yesterday)
NK- not known for l33t hackers. Not known to have root kitted anyone (yet). Small country not used to getting their way but still engages in extra-legal activities as well as mucho threats and intimidation.
Sony forced to eat humble pie by a group slightly less dictatorial than they are.
That's some damn fine irony right there.
FYI Alert for all those who are not aware:
1. Sony is a Japanese company with its headquarters in Japan. It owns a Studio in Hollywood which used to be MGM. Sony is a Japanese conglomerate that is not an American company.
2. Seth Rogen, who wrote the story is a Canadian Citizen. The director, his childhood friend a Evan Goldberg, is a Canadian Citizen. They shot the film in Vancouver Canada which is their home territory. They employed Canadians, thus putting many members of the Hollywood community out of work.
"Seth Aaron Rogen[1] (/ˈroʊɡən/; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian and filmmaker. Rogen began his career performing stand-up comedy during his teenage years, winning the Vancouver Amateur Comedy Contest in 1998." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Rogen
3. Sony is a conglomerate that has been manufacturing computers for over 30 years. You would think they would have a more secure system regarding hacks. They were asleep at the wheel.
In conclusion I would say a film made by Canadians for a Japanese corporation in Canada, is a Canadian and a Japanese problem.
What galls me more than the caving in to terrorists to a degree the real terrorists never managed is the fact that there is NOBODY who talks about the root cause of this problem: the apparently atrocious security at Sony.
If they had even a smidgeon of decent security segregation in place this hack would not have happened, or would have picked up whilst in progress. This appears to be a classic APT in progress, and I would really like to know why not a single intrusion detection system tripped.
My guess is because there were none, in a situation that is all to familiar to people tasked with protecting an organisation: there is never money to do it right, there is always money to do it over.
I would 100% agree that you ought to be angry with the hackers, but that shouldn't stop from realising that they only got their chance because the doors appeared to be standing wide open at Sony - and that, my dear commentards, is far from being news.
"If they had even a smidgeon of decent security segregation in place this hack would not have happened, or would have picked up whilst in progress. This appears to be a classic APT in progress, and I would really like to know why not a single intrusion detection system tripped."
Ever thought this was because the GoP took their time and found ways around each and every detection system as they went? What man can erect, man can subvert. This wasn't an overnight thing; apparently they'd been at this slowly and patiently for months if not years.
Also, consider the cost/benefit analysis. What if the accountants were told that to properly harden Sony's systems against such a threat would cost more than the potential losses they would incur should such an intrusion occur?
Also, consider the cost/benefit analysis. What if the accountants were told that to properly harden Sony's systems against such a threat would cost more than the potential losses they would incur should such an intrusion occur?
Well, the aggregate consequential cost of this debacle means that it's quite possible that they will have to shut the doors of some divisions, if not all.
I came across a company once which was a lot smarter than others: they made the CFO responsible for security. I wish more boards were that bright..
I don't know if this is more extreme corporate risk-aversion or just wanting to not appear to be piling on Sony Pictures during it's current tribulations, but Paramount Pictures has pulled "Team America: World Police" from distribution, after numerous theaters announced that they were going to show that as A) a ten-year anniversary celebration of the initial release and B) a substitute for "The Interview"
http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Team-America-screenings-also-pulled-from-5966318.php
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