What just happened? A ransomware group has claimed to have successfully breached the networks of Sony Group Corporation and is threatening to sell the data it stole from the Japanese tech giant. The good news is that this certainly doesn't appear to be an incident on any level like the infamous 2011 PSN hack, at least not right now.
According to Cyber Security Connect, ransomware newcomers Ransomed.vc claims to have compromised Sony's systems. The group said that the company is unwilling to pay to get its data back; therefore, it is being sold.
"We have successfully compromissed [sic] all of sony systems. We wont ransom them! we will sell the data. due to sony not wanting to pay. DATA IS FOR SALE," the group writes, adding that "WE ARE SELLING IT". It's important to note that the claims remain unverified.
Ransomed.vc has posted some proof-of-hack data, though it doesn't look like Sony will be too worried right now as there isn't a lot of compelling information being shown off. There are screenshots of an internal log-in page, an internal PowerPoint presentation from Sony's Quality Assurance Division featuring some testbench details, and a number of Java files.
The ransomware group has also posted a file tree of the entire leak. It seems to contain fewer than 6,000 files, which is a low number for a breach that supposedly covered all of Sony's systems. It includes "build log files", a wide range of Java resources, and HTML files, with some of the files prominently displaying Japanese characters. No price has been given for the stolen data.
While the incident doesn't appear to be too bad right now, Ransomed.vc has been behind a large number of attacks since the group's inception earlier this month, including an assault on the Hawaiian government's website. Most of its members reportedly operate out of Russia and Ukraine.
In 2011, an external intrusion on Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity services resulted in personally identifiable information from approximately 77 million accounts being compromised. It also prevented users of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles from accessing the service. The outage lasted 23 days.
There was also the 2014 hack on Sony Pictures by a group called the Guardians of Peace. Officials concluded that the attack was sponsored by the North Korean government - the group demanded that Sony withdraw its then-upcoming film The Interview; a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.