Sony Hackers Leak New Data, Threaten ‘Christmas Gift’ To Put Studio In ‘Worst State’

Latest data dump, the seventh, related to Sony streaming site Crackle

The Sony hacking continues to unfold as the group calling itself the Guardians of Peace have released another bundle of data obtained from the studio’s computer files, and issued another warning.
“We are preparing for you a Christmas gift,” reads the message. “The gift will be larger quantities of data. And it will be more interesting. The gift will surely give you much more pleasure and put Sony Pictures into the worst state.”
Also read: Amy Pascal on Whether She’s So Damaged She Can No Longer Lead Sony (Exclusive)
Recode obtained the files, but had not yet identified all its contents. Some of the files appear to be related to Grouper, a streaming site Sony acquired and then renamed Crackle, while another folder is labeled “junderwood,” which Recode believes to be in reference to Jim Underwood, a former Sony executive who now works at Facebook.
As TheWrap reported yesterday, Crackle pushed the release of its James Caan-Kevin Dillon hacker movie “The Throwaways,” due to the parent company’s messy and sensitive hack situation.
Also read: Hack Attack: Sony Orders Its Name Removed from ‘Interview’ Marketing Materials
The hack exposed personal information — including salaries and home addresses — of current employees and those who stopped working at Sony as far back as 2000 when the information was leaked to various news outlets and over BitTorrent.
Also leaked were the e-mail inboxes of Sony’s top executives, including Amy Pascal, exposing a wide array of information, from inappropriate jokes about the President’s race to details of deals, negotiations and drama on high profile Sony properties.
Also read: Hacker Group Lizard Squad Takes Credit for Sony Playstation Network Errors
“Everyone is banding together to get through this,” Pascal told TheWrap. “Sometimes adversity leads to banding together in a positive way. I’m really proud of the way they have been stepping up.”
While North Korea at first would not confirm or deny that it was behind the hacking as retaliation for Sony’s Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy “The Interview,” which revolves around an assassination attempt on the country’s leader Kim Jong-un, it then reportedly denied involvement, calling the accusations “another fabrication targeting the country.”
However, a new message posted online demanded that the film be pulled from its scheduled release, which seems to contradict the idea that there is no North Korea link.
Also read: Sony Hack Attack: FBI to Hold Employee Cybersecurity Awareness Briefings on Studio Lot
Additionally, earlier reports indicated findings from Sony, the FBI and private security firms turned up evidence that the malware was allegedly created on a machine with Korean language settings, was created during Korea-based hours and shares similarities to previous attacks attributed to North Korea.
The FBI visited Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Culver City headquarters on Wednesday for employee cybersecurity awareness briefings, and CEO Michael Lynton has also scheduled an “all hands” meeting to update employees on the latest.