Sony Pictures Plans Town Hall as Hackers Promise 'Christmas Gift to Come' - East Idaho News
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Sony Pictures Plans Town Hall as Hackers Promise ‘Christmas Gift to Come’

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GETTY 121514 SonyHQ?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1418657550534Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton is holding a town hall meeting with employees Monday over the company’s leaked emails.

The California meeting comes after a recent attack by hackers calling themselves “Guardians of Peace,” with the group releasing additional email correspondence and data, and promising a “Christmas gift to come.” The FBI is now reportedly advising employees on how to manage the leak of their personal information.

Co-editor in chief Andrew Wallenstein of Variety said the release of stolen files puts Sony Pictures in a compromised state.

“It’s hard to believe they could be bracing for much worse, but I’ll bet you, they are,” Wallenstein said.

In the latest round of embarrassing leaks, an early version of the top-secret script to the newest James Bond movie, Spectre, was stolen as filming was set to begin, which Wallenstein says could prove expensive.

“It could cost up to $100 million just to clean up the mess that these leaks are causing,” Wallenstein said.

The flood of stolen data covers everything from Social Security numbers to salaries. New reports claim emails show two Sony executives mocking Will Smith’s children, Jaden and Willow. Another exchange bashes Leonardo DiCaprio, calling him “despicable” for pulling out of the Steve Jobs biopic, while another leaked exchange features a Sony executive supporting a sensitive George Clooney, upset by bad reviews of The Monuments Men.

Sony launched a counterattack to the cyberwar, sending a letter to news organizations, including ABC News, asking them to delete and avoid publishing what it calls “stolen information.”

In its letter, Sony says the hackers are “explicitly seeking to prevent” the studio from releasing the upcoming movie The Interview, starring James Franco and Seth Rogan. The satirical movie, which features a fictitious assassination plot against North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, is set for release Christmas Day.


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