back to article Sony Pictures struggles as staff details, salaries and films leaked

It's getting worse for Sony: the latest data dump from the raid that's brought the company to an IT standstill includes the personal details of staff. Documents leaked through BitTorrent show the names, home addresses, salaries (and bonuses), and social security numbers of thousands of staff, including executives. Sony …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Obviously false flag. The NSA must be grubbing for a budget increase and they know Sony has held fundraisers for Obamalamadingdong

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Conspiracy Theory Overload

      J J Carter, well done! Are you after the Russell Brand award for weird and outlandishly daft conspiracy theories?

      A few more films mocking fat boy and his infantile state of staving vassals would appear to be in order.

      1. Peter Simpson 1
        Thumb Up

        Re: Conspiracy Theory Overload

        Are you after the Russell Brand amanfrommars award for weird and outlandishly daft conspiracy theories?

        FTFY

    2. Khaptain Silver badge

      As an aside, I just learned, courtesy of the Urban Dictionary, that an "Obamalamadingdong" is actually a description for someone who goes round ringing doorbells and promoting Obama.

      The word has a very onomatopoeiac ring to it......

      [Far better than the old "Ding Dong Avon calling" of yore]

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Kim-Jong-Owned

    4. Psyx

      Perception bias: Something that allows us to ignore any evidence in order to impose our own pre-conceived agenda, contrary to rational decision-making.

      1. Frumious Bandersnatch

        Perception bias (TLDR version): "I'll see it when I believe it"

        (I don't know what you think the relevance is, though)

    5. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge

      No idea why so down-voted. I agree!

      The Norks had nothing to do with this.Seriously, it was one bit of speculation from one unnamed source, and suddenly everyone's sure they massively upped their game and changed how they operate? I don't think so.

      The scale is breath-taking. This is people with hardware access walking out with hard drives, having spent a while getting into the right positions. It's not someone working out of North Korea. It's 38 million+ files, and 11+ terabytes. That's probably half the storage in Pyongyang.

  2. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Trollface

    We are reaching manglement orbit. Prepare to disembark!

    Some 17 executives, from programming to advertising, were listed as having salaries over US$1 million.

    Not that excessive but clearly there is still shareholder value that can be clawed back. Now with extreme prejudice.

    1. Fatman

      Re: We are reaching manglement orbit. Prepare to disembark!

      Right idea, but wrong on the exit strategy. It should be:

      "Please put away your trays, and return your seats to the upright position. Buckle your seat belts and be prepared to pull the ejector lever in the event of air craft disintegration. Once again, thank you for flying Pwned Airlines."

  3. Boris Winkle
    FAIL

    Doesn't bode well...

    In the PS4 vs XBOX1 battle..

    People didn't like having their details swiped last time from the SONY gaming network, they aint going to be too chuffed at the prospect of going through it all again..

    Doesn't look good for them having TWO major beaches.

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Doesn't bode well...

      They may as well be different companies

      SCE is basically proper Sony, the hardware company a lot of people still like.

      SP is basically a US film producer they bought (Columbia?).

      As to PS4 vs XB1 the winners are the gamers. The manufacturers actually LIKE each other.

      1. Jagged

        Re: Doesn't bode well...

        I read that as "As to PS4 vs XB1 the whiners are the gamers."

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Doesn't bode well...

      firstly, what's this got to do with PSN?

      secondly, PS4 is destroying the Xbone 4:1 in sales.

      thirdly, don't be sure sure hacks aren't happening closer to home.

      Infact, I still have an open question with The Register, about why my details that were only used here, soon to have been either taken or sold to 3rd parties.

      Perhaps The Register were too busy writing this gutter-press tripe, and not paying attention to who was on THEIR network...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Re: Doesn't bode well...

        We have had one self-inflicted data leak when we cced email addresses on a mailing list to people on that mailing list. We reported ourselves to ICO - and fessed up on the site.

        I am unaware of any data breach.

        1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
          Coat

          Re: Doesn't bode well...

          "I am unaware of any data breach." Yet.

          FTFY :-)

      2. RAMChYLD

        Re: Doesn't bode well...

        > secondly, PS4 is destroying the Xbone 4:1 in sales.

        It has to be said tho: Microsoft have no one but themselves to blame for their failure. I mean, come on! Launch the Xbone and Xbox Live Gold services in Malaysia and other third world countries already. Singapore has full official support while in Malaysia you only get shady parallel imported devices from Singapore that has limited to zero functionality outside of playing games from optical media, and even then you can't even play online. In the meantime Sony is laughing all the way to the bank with my money. And I will happily support them because their services are available in Malaysia, Microsoft's aren't.

  4. Steve I

    What?

    "Sony Pictures Entertainment could not be reached for comment".

    Even after their home addresses had been leaked? Why didn't you just write to them?

    1. solo
      Facepalm

      Re: What?

      They couldn't be reached at home. Work from home is barred for them now.

  5. Frankee Llonnygog

    Salaries are the most confidential data

    The one thing most HR departments don't want you to know is how much they pay themselves

  6. JimmyPage Silver badge

    Back to pen and paper

    Sorry - I call bullshit. I would suggest that no company with more than 100[1] employees could manage without at least one PC doing something for them. And that's in the UK. I have no idea how complex Japanese commercial bureaucracy is, but I doubt it is that much different to the UK.

    Given the fact that data is going to continue to be generated (whether inside the IT system, or on paper) at a rate that will exceed the ability to input it (unless Sony were spectacularly inefficient in terms of staff usage), I suspect that in years to come, November/December 2014 will never be available in their MI systems - certainly not to any great detail.

    [1]In fact 10 employees might be a push.

    1. Psyx

      Re: Back to pen and paper

      "I would suggest that no company with more than 100[1] employees could manage without at least one PC doing something for them. "

      It can be done. We used to call it 'going to stubby pencil mode'.

    2. Bloakey1

      Re: Back to pen and paper

      It can easily be done and included in disaster recovery plan. A lot of the KGB runs on pen, paper and typewriters, also lots of huge companies in the past used to run ok.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: Back to pen and paper

        "lots of huge companies in the past used to run ok."

        Yeah, but that was in the days when a drawing office had 100's of guys at drawing boards with all the physical tools of the trade instead of 10 guys with a big PC each and two or three screens. Ditto for the "typing pool". Going manual in most offices isn't practical because the skills, equipment and most importantly, the larges numbers of warm bodies is no longer there.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Back to pen and paper

        "A lot of the KGB runs on pen, paper and typewriters,"

        In the words of the venerable Sir Shaun of Ryder :-

        "You're twistin' my melon man, you know you talk so hip man"

        Did you mean "runs on" in the same sense that the Black Panthers, Bow Street Runners and Lord Kitchener also "run on" such things?

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Popped the company"

    "The Hermit Kingdom was thought by some to have popped the company"

    This is a use of the verb that I am not familiar with. What does it mean ?

    1. Crisp

      Re: "Popped the company"

      In this context, it means to hit or to strike.

      It's a British thing. We use the word pop for a variety of stuff.

      1. Lyndon Hills 1

        Re: "Popped the company"

        It's also used to mean pledging some item in a pawnshop, so 'pawned the company'. make more sense?

        1. Random Coolzip

          Re: "Popped the company"

          > 'pawned the company'. make more sense?

          If you mean "pwned the company" then yes.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    little tidbit...I actually worked on the SCEE breach a couple of years back as we were contracted to do the forensics and act as Expert Witness... Their counsel managed to reduce all the fines by half (from £500k to £250k) by successfully arguing (using our evidence and testimony) that they weren't completely and willfully negligent. Anyway, the interesting part, they were so hell bent on proving their innocence they ignored EVERYONE'S advice to say sorry, fix up, pay the £500k fine and promise to get better. Instead they chose to fight it, get some VERY expensive solicitors involved, dragged it out for months, through the media daily, and still got stung for £250k and forced to admit guilt. I have zero doubt in my mind their bill from their legal firm who contracted us was way in excess of what they saved...lol.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      But the point is, it was proven in court, Sony wasn't negligent in the PSN hack... It was never about the money, it was about proving that in a court of law, showing facts, rather than the internet hearsay that most people here still believe to be true (like that creditcard details were stolen, which if you truly were involved, you will know to be untrue)

      Just like much of the acidic hate here, (Rootkit, PSN hack). The facts are lost an a massive pot of untuths and myths, with plebs making idiots of themselves daily, pushing "facts" about somehting that read about on the intenet.

      1. chris lively

        There is a difference between willful/gross negligence and just being stupid.

        Sony's Development and IT department were very much the latter.

  9. Terry Cloth
    Devil

    Is this Sony ``rootkit'' Corporation?

    Yes, I know this could be a disaster for many people working there (and their families), but somehow I can't help but think ``What goes around comes around''.

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Re: Is this Sony ``rootkit'' Corporation?

      No that is the music division.

      1. Strange Fruit

        Re: Is this Sony ``rootkit'' Corporation?

        @MJI 'No that's the music division'

        Maybe so, but if Sony Corp wants to take the profits then they can damn well take the flak as well. Branding works both ways.

    2. Mike Flugennock
      Thumb Up

      Re: Is this Sony ``rootkit'' Corporation?

      "...but somehow I can't help but think ``What goes around comes around''.

      Damn' straight, man. Payback's a bitch.

      I can't pretend I'm not enjoying this.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Rootkit

    Probably caused by a rootkit...

  11. red floyd

    Couldn't have happened to a nicer rootkit writer.

    n/t

  12. Sureo

    "Sony Pictures has regained control of its technical networks after requesting staff disconnect personal devices from the compromised network."

    Consequence of BYOD.

  13. sisk

    In a bizarre statement an unnamed North Korean government official...

    Is there any other type of statement from North Korean government officials?

    1. Andrew Tyler 1

      Statement

      Sounds to me like: "we would absolutely love to take credit for this, so go on assuming that's the case."

  14. Florida1920
    Big Brother

    Kim Jong Un will do anything to avoid paying the increased Netflix fee.

  15. Winkypop Silver badge
    Trollface

    SONY, just remember:

    The sun'll come out tomorrow

    Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow

    there'll be sun

    Just thinkin' about tomorrow

    Clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow 'til there's none

  16. chivo243 Silver badge

    For Better or Worse, Sony and Will.i.am

    Are his details also nabbed in the hack?

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