A ransomware group named Ransomed.vc claimed it had succeeded in hacking into Sony’s systems and plans to sell the media company’s data.
“We have successfully compromissed [sic] all of sony systems. We wont ransom them! we will sell the data. due to sony not wanting to pay. DATA IS FOR SALE. WE ARE SELLING IT,” the group posted on its leak site, according to Cybersecurity Connect. The security news site noted that Ransomed.vc had only been operating this month, and are relatively new.
The site also noted that the group released some screenshots and other documents as proof of the breach.
A Sony spokeswoman said the company is investigating the situation, but declined to comment further.
This wouldn’t be the first time Sony was the victim of a cybersecurity attack. The company was the victim of a 2014 data breach by a hacker group that called itself “Guardians of Peace,” believed to be part of North Korean response to the studio’s production of then-upcoming film The Interview, starting James Franco as a reporter and Randall Park as Kim Jong-un. The breach was an embarrassing affair, leading to the public release of emails between Sony and Marvel Studios, the screenplay for James Bond film Spectre, and details on various future Sony films.
Three years earlier, Sony’s Playstation Network suffered a massive data breach that exposed the personal details of 77 million accounts, leading to the service being taken down for nearly a month.
Typically, a ransomware attack results in hackers getting into a system and locking it up, and then demanding payment to make everything work again. These attacks routinely target bigger businesses or institutions like hospitals or universities. In this case, if the claim is valid, Ransomed.vc is skipping the ransom part and looking to sell the data.