Tuesday, 2 December 2014

FBI warns companies of cyberattacks after Sony hack

Sony could be just the first victim in a wave of destructive cyberattacks. The FBI warned U.S. companies that they, too, might be hit by a damaging cyberattack that could erase their computers.
The warning doesn't mention the massive hack that took down Sony's computer systems last week and resulted in the leak of some of the company's upcoming movies (and perhaps sensitive data), but details in the warning seem to indicate they could be linked. 
The FBI warned of a potential attack involving malware that destroys all data on a computer, preventing it from even booting up.
"The overwriting of the data files will make it extremely difficult and costly, if not impossible, to recover the data using standard forensic methods," the warning said, according to Reuters, which obtained and reported on the confidential bulletin on Monday.
The FBI did not respond to Mashable's request for comment, but it confirmed on Monday that it is investigating the Sony breach.
The attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment seemingly affected the majority of its computer servers, giving attackers access to all kinds of data, as reported.
Sony Pictures said in a statement on Monday that it is continuing "to work through issues related to what was clearly a cyber attack last week. 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 also reportedly hired security firm FireEye to clean up after the attack.
The attackers have identified themselves as a group calling itself GOP (Guardian of Peace), but it's unclear who really is behind the breach. There's been speculation, however, that the North Korean government might be behind the attack.
 From Mashable's

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