Kazuo Hirai, Sony's CEO, has finally broken his silence on the cyberattack waged on Sony Pictures, which has stirred a hornet's nest.
On Monday, Jan. 5, at Sony Corp.'s event at the International CES 2015, Hirai publicly condemned the hacking, which deferred the release of the comedy film "The Interview," labeling it "vicious" and "malicious."
Speaking at the keynote, where the company released a 4K Action Cam and a new TV that is slimmer than the Xperia smartphone, Hirai said that he was proud of his employees and partners. He also thanked them for standing up against the "extortionist" efforts of the attackers.
"Both Sony Pictures Entertainment, former employees, and certainly current employees, they were unfortunately the victim of one of the most vicious and malicious cyber-attacks that we've known," noted Hirai. "I have to say that freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of association, those are very important lifeblood -- lifelines -- of Sony and our entertainment business."
In November 2014, Sony Pictures was the victim of a cyberattack, which resulted in the compromising of its sensitive data. The hackers called themselves "Guardians of Piece" or GOP and threatened severe consequences if Sony Pictures did not pull the comedy film "The Interview," which poked fun at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from the theaters.
The U.S. government blamed North Korea for orchestrating the attacks. Some theories even suggested that the country enlisted the help of people outside to wage the cyber-attack. However, several security experts have pooh-poohed the theory that North Korea is behind the attack.
As we reported recently, security firm Norse revealed that the hacking may have been masterminded by an insider - an ex-Sony employee who was laid off.
In retaliation, the Obama government has issued sanctions against some officials from North Korea, as well as three state organizations which the officials believe play a pivotal role in the cyberattack and other illegal activities.
Currently, Hirai revealed that "The Interview" is being screened at nearly 580 independent theaters in the U.S., as well as some online platforms.
The movies raked in $15 million in the first three days since distribution alone via downloads.
