A ransomware group claims to have successfully breached Sony Group Corporation's networks and is threatening to sell data stolen from the Japanese tech giant. But the good news is that the current treat doesn't appear to be as serious as the infamous PSN hack of 2011, at least not yet.
According to "CyberSecurityConnect" (CyberSecurityConnect), ransomware "upstart" Ransomed.vc claims to have invaded Sony's system. The group said Sony was selling the data because it was unwilling to pay the ransom to get it back.
"We have successfully compromised all of Sony's systems. Since Sony is unwilling to pay the ransom, we are selling the data. Data for sale," the group wrote, adding that "we are selling the data." It's worth noting that these claims have not been confirmed.
Ransomed.vc released some proof of hacking data, but Sony doesn’t seem too worried now because not much convincing information has been shown. At present, the hacker only showed screenshots of internal login pages, an internal PowerPoint presentation from Sony’s quality assurance department (containing some test bench details) and some Java files.
The ransomware group also released the entire compromised file tree. There appear to be less than 6,000 files included, which is a low number for a leak that purportedly covers all of Sony's systems. It includes "build log files", a large number of Java resources and HTML files, some of which prominently display Japanese characters. Ransomed.vc has not yet given a price for the stolen data.
Although the incident does not appear to be too serious now, Ransomed.vc has launched a large number of attacks since its establishment earlier this month, including attacks on Hawaii government websites. Most of its members are reportedly operating in Russia and Ukraine.
In 2011, Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity services were invaded by external parties, resulting in the leakage of personally identifiable information of approximately 77 million accounts. It also resulted in users of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable game consoles being unable to access the service. The network outage lasted 23 days.
In 2014, a group called "Peace Keepers" also hacked Sony Pictures. Officials concluded the attack was sponsored by the North Korean government - and the group asked Sony to withdraw its then-upcoming film "The Interview," a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.