The Department of Justice has announced formal charges being filed in relation to the 2014 hack of the Sony Pictures Entertainment computer servers.
The complaint states that North Korean citizen Park Jin Hyok was a member of a group of computer hackers known as the “Lazarus Group” sponsored by the North Korean government. The DoJ alleges that this group is the responsible party for the cyberattacks done on Sony back in November 2014. The hack resulted in the release of volumes of company documents and emails, including digital copies of several upcoming releases from the studio. Among the documents were employee personnel records, which included private financial information.
The Sony attack was made by the Lazarus Group under the direction of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, North Korea’s clandestine military intelligence agency. The hackers alleged to be a group calling themselves “Guardians Of Peace,” and claimed that they were upset with Sony over the impending release of the Seth Rogen – James Franco comedy The Interview, which featured a comical depiction of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Sony cancelled their planned wide release of the film amidst security and safety concerns for local theaters and instead had a similar, direct to video release.
The accusations against Park in relation to the Sony hack are just part of the indictment, which also states that he took part in several other crimes and cyberattacks.
