In this episode of Intrusions In-Depth, host Josh Stepp dives into the infamous 2014 Sony hack, where North Korea allegedly targeted Sony Pictures over the controversial film The Interview. The episode explores the timeline of the hack, technical analysis of the malware used, and the political implications, including the response from President Obama.
Josh also examines various conspiracy theories surrounding the hack, including speculation about Russian involvement and insider threats.
Main Topics:
1. The Sony Hack: Overview and Timeline
Sony Pictures' preparation for The Interview, a comedy about the assassination of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.
Initial breach in September 2014 via phishing emails, followed by months of network snooping.
November 2014: The attack escalates, wiping Sony’s systems and leaking sensitive data, including unreleased films and employee information.
2. North Korea’s Motives and Threats
North Korea's public condemnation of The Interview as an act of war and terrorism through UN complaints.
Connection to North Korean propaganda and the Kim regime’s intolerance for mockery in media.
Analysis of North Korea's use of cinema for internal propaganda and their extreme reaction to the film.
3. Technical Breakdown of the Attack
Discussion of the malware used: Destover, a wiper designed to erase Sony's files.
FBI’s findings on how the malware operated, wiping systems and exfiltrating large amounts of data.
Comparison to previous North Korean cyberattacks like the Dark Seoul and Shamoon campaigns.
4. Political Fallout and Obama’s Response
President Obama's statement condemning the censorship attempt and Sony’s initial decision to pull the film.
The FBI's conclusion that North Korea was responsible for the attack, despite some skepticism from the cybersecurity community.
Analysis of Sony's defense and Obama’s commitment to respond to the attack.
5. Theories and Conspiracies: Was It Really North Korea?
Speculation on Russian involvement and alternative theories involving disgruntled Sony employees.
FBI's indictment of North Korean hacker Park Jin Hyok in 2018, tying him to the Sony hack and other cybercrimes.
Discussion of whether the attack was a multi-party effort or framed to implicate North Korea.
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Links and Resources:
https://www.vox.com/2015/1/20/18089084/sony-hack-north-korea
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-korean-regime-backed-programmer-charged-conspiracy-conduct-multiple-cyber-attacks-and
https://coverlink.com/case-study/sony-pictures-entertainment-hack/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Sony_Pictures_hack
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1046744.pdf
https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/update-on-sony-investigation
https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cyber-attacks/the-hack-of-sony-pictures-what-you-need-to-know
https://www.nccgroup.com/us/the-lazarus-group-north-korean-scourge-for-plus10-years/
https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/04/11/north-korean-destructive-malware-is-back-says-dhs-report/
https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/threat-encyclopedia/malware/bkdr_wipall.e
https://www.securityweek.com/researchers-analyze-data-wiping-malware-used-sony-attack/
https://www.scmagazine.com/news/analysis-of-wiper-malware-implicated-in-sony-breach-exposes-shamoon-style-attacks
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/wdsi/threats/malware-encyclopedia-description?Name=Win32/NukeSped
https://lamag.com/film/sony-hack
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/five-years-who-hacked-sony-1257591/
https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/report-russian-hacker-broke-into-sony-is-still-there
https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/operation-blockbuster/11407/
https://threatpost.com/details-emerge-on-sony-wiper-malware-destover/109727/
https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/destover-taps-stolen-sony-certificate-a-7660
https://securelist.com/destover/67985/
https://securelist.com/shamoon-the-wiper-in-details/34369/
https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/sony-hack-destover-malware-identified-a-7638
https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/sony-hackers-knew-details-of-sony-s-entire-it-infrastructure
https://securityaffairs.com/42194/malware/destover-malware-analysis.html
https://info.publicintelligence.net/FBI-KoreanMalware.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Jin_Hyok
https://www.nknews.org/2023/02/south-korea-issues-first-ever-cyber-sanctions-against-north-korea/
https://mynorthkorea.blogspot.com/
https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/operation-blockbuster/11407/
https://threatpost.com/details-emerge-on-sony-wiper-malware-destover/109727/
https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/destover-taps-stolen-sony-certificate-a-7660
https://securelist.com/destover/67985/
https://securelist.com/shamoon-the-wiper-in-details/34369/
https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/sony-hack-destover-malware-identified-a-7638
https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/sony-hackers-knew-details-of-sony-s-entire-it-infrastructure
https://securityaffairs.com/42194/malware/destover-malware-analysis.html
https://info.publicintelligence.net/FBI-KoreanMalware.pdf
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=79955aa7-ed24-417a-8492-34a7af42daf7#:~:text=The%20Court%20rejected%20Capital%20One's,protected%20by%20attorney%2Dclient%20privilege.
https://darknetdiaries.com/episode/147/
https://www.kaspersky.com/blog/operation-blockbuster/11407/
Books:
The Lazarus Heist: From Hollywood to High Finance: Inside North Korea's Global Cyber War by Geoff White
In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl's Journey to Freedom by Yeomi Park
The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story by Hyeonseo Lee
Dear Reader: The Unauthorized Autobiography of Kim Jong Il by Michael Malice
Credits:
Host: Josh Stepp
Produced by: Josh Stepp
Thank you for tuning in to Intrusions in Depth. Stay informed, stay safe, and see you in the next episode!
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