Hackers Blackmail Sony: Pull ‘The Interview’ or Else

The group behind the November 24th cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, which saw thousands of employee Social Security numbers and five full feature films leaked on file-sharing websites, posted a new warning on Monday, vowing that FBI and Sony investigators would never catch the culprits and demanding that upcoming film The Interview be banned from release.

The message from the hacking group, who call themselves GOP, or Guardians of Peace, was posted to note-sharing website GitHub, and reads: 

We have already given our clear demand to the management team of SONY, however, they have refused to accept. It seems that you think everything will be well, if you find out the attacker, while no reacting to our demand [sic]. We are sending you our warning again. Do carry out our demand if you want to escape us. And, Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War! You, SONY & FBI, cannot find us. We are perfect as much. The destiny of SONY is totally up to the wise reaction & measure of SONY.”

Late last month, North Korean media-controlled newspaper Uriminzokkiri slammed the upcoming Sony Pictures release The Interview, calling it an “evil act of provocation” and warning of “stern punishment” if the film was released as scheduled. The comedy film follows a pair of unlikely television producers who are enlisted to help assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

For its part, North Korea has denied involvement in the attack. However, according to Reuters, the country says its “supporters” could be involved, and called the hack a “righteous deed.”

“The hacking into Sony Pictures Entertainment might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers with the DPRK in response to its appeal,” North Korean news agency KCNA reported. “There are a great number of supporters and sympathizers with the DRPK all over the world.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, investigators believe North Korea may have been involved in the attack, because the malicious code used to hack Sony’s servers almost exactly matches the code used in a 2013 cyber attack on South Korea. Investigators also found evidence that the code was constructed on a computer set to Korean language settings, and that it was written during Korean business hours.