Sony and PlayStation allegedly hacked, Sony is investigating
Sony has allegedly fallen victim to a ransomware attack, which hackers say compromised "all of Sony systems."
A ransomware group by the name of Ransomed.vc has claimed to have successfully hacked Sony's systems, that's according to a report from Cyber Security Connect, which said that Sony is only the latest in the group's list of recent victims.
Ransomed.vc shared the news on the dark web, as well as clear internet, claiming that "We have successfully compromised [sic] all of Sony systems."
As proof, Ransomed.vc posted screenshots of internal log-in pages, presentations, and a file tree of the full leak. The batch includes around 6,000 files, according to Cyber Security Connect, which the site notes isn't large enough to include "all of Sony systems."
Sony, of course, owns a great deal of units, though its most profitable and most recognisable brand is PlayStation. The hackers did not specifically say whether PlayStation is included in the lot, but it's logical to assume it is.
PlayStation, of course, suffered a major hack in 2011 that caused the PlayStation Network to be down for 23 days. As for this particular hack, the group did not list any price for the data, though it left contact details for interested parties to reach them.
Interestingly, however, Ransomed.vc does not intend to ransom the stolen data. Instead, it plans to sell it, advertising a "post date" of September 28, which could mean that data will be made public if no interested buyer approaches until then. The group is known for another clever trick that compels companies to pay without the threat of leaking the data.
By gaining access to company systems, Ransomed.vc is able to witness Data Privacy Law violations, which it can then threaten to report to the GDPR. Fines for GDPR violations will almost always be a lot higher than paying hackers to shut them up.
That's to say nothing of the public relation headache that would cause, which incentivises victims to choose the lesser of two evils. While Sony did not make any official announcements on its websites about the hack, the company told IGN, "We are currently investigating the situation, and we have no further comment at this time."