Sony Pictures Documents, Emails Published On WikiLeaks
CULVER CITY (CBSLA.com) — WikiLeaks published Thursday thousands of documents and emails unearthed by a computer-hacking attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment that federal authorities blamed on North Korea.
"This archive shows the inner-workings of an influential multinational corporation," WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange said. "It is newsworthy and at the center of a geo-political conflict. It belongs in the public domain. WikiLeaks will ensure it stays there."
The searchable database includes 30,287 documents and 173,132 emails sent to and from 2,200 Sony email addresses, according to WikiLeaks.
Sony officials lashed out at WikiLeaks for publishing the documents.
"The cyberattack on Sony Pictures was a malicious criminal act, and we strongly condemn the indexing of stolen employee and other private and privileged information on WikiLeaks. The attackers used the dissemination of stolen information to try to harm SPE and its employees, and now WikiLeaks regrettably is assisting them in that effort.
"We vehemently disagree with WikiLeaks' assertion that this material belongs in the public domain and will continue to fight for the safety, security and privacy or our company and its more than 6,000 employees."
Last fall's cyberattack exposed thousands of employees to identity theft, embarrassed executives and celebrities with the release of off-color emails and crippled the studio's digital infrastructure. Federal authorities said North Korea took the action in response to the studio's film "The Interview," a dark comedy depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The studio initially canceled the planned release of the film, following threats of violence posted online by the hacking group identifying itself as the "Guardians of Peace." But a wave of criticism followed the decision, including from President Barack Obama, and the studio went ahead with the film's release, both in theaters and on various Internet streaming services.
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