Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai says company was victim of 'vicious' cyberattack
South Korea said that rival North Korea had a 6,000-member cyberarmy. The revelation came as Sony chief executive officer Kazuo Hirai called the devastating recent hack on the company "vicious and malicious".
South Korea said yesterday that rival North Korea had a 6,000-member cyberarmy.
The revelation came as Sony chief executive officer Kazuo Hirai called the devastating recent hack on the company "vicious and malicious", in his first public comments about the attack that derailed the cinematic launch of controversial comedy .
Speaking on Monday at a press event on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Hirai thanked supporters who stood by the company in the face of the massive cyberassault, including employees and movie-goers who watched the film when it finally hit cinemas.
"Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of association - those are important lifelines of Sony and our entertainment business," Hirai said.
His comments were his first public statements about the attack on the Japanese company's film and television unit.
"We are proud of partners who stood up against extortionist efforts by criminals who attacked Sony," Hirai said.
Sony employees, he added, "were victims of one of the most vicious and malicious cyber-attacks we have known, certainly in recent history".
"I want to thank all the partners who made this possible, media who supported the launch, and those who have gone out to see the movie," Hirai said.
The late-November cyber-attack against Sony led to an online leak of employee information, unreleased films and embarrassing in-house emails.
The hackers also mounted threats against Sony over the planned Christmas release of , which depicts a fictional CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
US investigators have said North Korea, which has repeatedly denied involvement, was behind the attack, but some experts have raised doubts about the conclusions of the FBI probe.
Now South Korea has accused Pyongyang of having a 6,000-member cyberarmy dedicated to disrupting Seoul's military and government.
The figure is a dramatic increase from its earlier estimate that the North had a cyberwarfare staff of 3,000.
North Korea has denied any involvement in the breach of tens of thousands of confidential Sony emails and business files. However Pyongyang, which repeatedly slammed the movie as an "act of terror", praised the hacking attack as a "righteous deed" possibly staged by its sympathisers.
The North has also lashed out at fresh US sanctions, criticising Washington for refusing a proposed joint investigation.
