March 21, 2023 The Best Source of News, Culture, Lifestyle for Culver City, Mar Vista, Del Rey, Palms and West Los Angeles

Sony Pictures Entertainment begins to recover from computer cyberattack

Life is returning to normal for Sony Pictures Entertainment after a computer attack — possibly inspired by an upcoming comedy dealing with North Korea — that crippled the studio early last week, it was reported today.

Some computer systems crucial to Sony’s business operations are finally back online, while employee email access is expected to be back up later in the day, people familiar with the situation told the Los Angeles Times.

But the Culver City unit behind movies such as “The Amazing Spider-Man” is still reeling from the Nov. 24 computer breach that left thousands of employees performing their jobs with pens, paper and fax machines, The Times reported.

“Sony Pictures continues to work through issues related to what was clearly a cyberattack last week,” the studio said in a statement. “The company has restored a number of important services to ensure ongoing business continuity and is working closely with law enforcement officials to investigate the matter.”

The company has been scrambling to repair the damage to its computer system after a hack by a group calling itself Guardians of Peace, according to The Times.

Compounding the company’s woes, the attack also seems to have resulted in the pirating of DVD copies of at least five new and upcoming movies. The films began appearing on file-sharing websites just days after the infiltration, The Times reported.

Among the stolen films are the Brad Pitt World War II drama “Fury,” which is still in theaters, and the upcoming remake of the musical “Annie,” the newspaper reported.

Sony executives have declined to comment on the scale of the attack, but Internet security experts told The Times it exposed the company’s lax computer defenses.

In the aftermath of the attack on Sony, the FBI warned U.S. businesses Monday night that hackers have used malicious software to launch a destructive cyberattack in the United States. Cybersecurity experts quoted in news reports from the nation’s capital said the malicious software described in the FBI’s alert appeared to describe what afflicted Sony.

The technology news site Re/code reported that Sony is trying to determine whether hackers working on behalf of North Korea were responsible for the attack as retribution for the company’s upcoming film “The Interview.”

The movie, which is due to be released in the United States and Canada on Dec. 25, is a comedy about two journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In a letter to U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon in June, the North Korean government denounced the film as “undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war.”

Related Posts

LAUSD Families Brace for 3-Day Strike

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

Union representing workers, including custodians, cafeteria workers, teacher assistants and other support staff have voted to walk off the job...

LAPD Investigates Shooting in Palms After Man Found Murdered

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

Andrew Conaway arrested in connection to March 16 shooting The Los Angeles Police Department’s West Bureau Homicide Detectives are investigating...

Man Rescued After Falling Into Well at Hyperion Water Plant

March 20, 2023

March 20, 2023

Man falls into roughly 20 foot well Thursday  LAFD reports rescuing a 32-year-old man who fell into a well at...

Helio Seeks Approval for New Multifamily Development in Palms

March 19, 2023

March 19, 2023

Helio, a Los Angeles-based real estate development firm, has submitted an application for a new multifamily residential building at 3734...

Fox Studio Lot Set for Major $1.5 Billion Upgrade That Will Change the Westside’s Skyline

March 18, 2023

March 18, 2023

Construction could begin in a few years, following the entitlement process. By Sam Catanzaro Fox Studio Lot, one of Hollywood’s...

Pension Fund of Los Angeles Water and Power Plans to Invest Up to $500M in Real Estate in 2023

March 18, 2023

March 18, 2023

Pension fund in 2022 committed $850 million to new real estate investments Los Angeles Water and Power Employees is reportedly...

Reward up to $50,000 for Info on Fatal Venice Boulevard Collision

March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023

LAPD investigates February 26 incident  According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), on February 26, 2023, around 1:17 a.m.,...

Are You Staying on the Westside Over the Summer?

March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023

Spring is officially here, which means summer is just around the corner. Westside residents, what are your travel plans this...

City Council Calls for Analysis on Mental Health and Domestic Violence Calls

March 17, 2023

March 17, 2023

The proposed report will consider the current capacity and response times for the Mental Evaluation Unit and Domestic Abuse Response...

Erewhon Opening in Culver City as Part 10-Store Expansion

March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023

14,000 square foot space planned for trendy grocery store at 9300 Culver Boulevard By Dolores Quintana The good news for...

Pie Shop and Cocina Coming to Boardwalk MDR

March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023

Winston Pies, Planta Cocina headed for shopping center By Dolores Quintana Marina Del Rey has two new restaurants to look...

LA City Council Committee Approves Motion to Study Fee for Sidewalk Vending Permit

March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023

The Los Angeles City Council’s Neighborhoods and Community Enrichment Committee approved a motion Wednesday calling for a study of the...

MadLab Coffee Set to Expand This Spring With Three New Outposts in Historic Pico Corridor, South Culver, and Westfield Topanga

March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023

MadLab Coffee is set to expand this spring with the opening of three new outposts in the historic Pico Corridor,...

Baristas at Two La Colombe Locations Vote to Unionize for Better Wages, Improved Working Conditions

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

Two other locations in Beverly Hills and Frogtown remain uninvolved in this unionizing effort Baristas at two La Colombe locations...

City of Los Angeles Holding Department-Wide Career Fair in Baldwin Hills

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

This Thursday at The Michelle & Barack Obama Sports Complex ​​The City of Los Angeles is inviting individuals to join...