Sony Pictures’ computer network has reportedly come under cyberattack, with hackers allegedly threatening to release key information from the Japanese group’s entertainment division.
Sony did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. However, The Next Web, a news site, reported that all Sony employees at the Los Angeles unit were ordered home and to stay off the company network.
A source within Sony told the news site: “A single server was compromised and the attack was spread from there.”
An image posted on the social news sharing site Reddit from an individual claiming to be a former Sony employee showed a page with the words: “Hacked by #GOP.” It was unclear what “GOP” stands for, but some reports said the alleged group is called Guardians of Peace.
The posted image said unspecified demands must be met by Sony or important files would be released.
The Web site Geek.com said the hackers leaked a large file containing spreadsheets and what appear to be passwords.
“We’ve already warned you and this is just a beginning,” the message on Reddit said. “We continue till our request be met... If you don’t obey us, we’ll release the data shown to the world.”
The US-based Sony Pictures Web site appeared to be functioning normally on Tuesday.
“Sony Pictures Entertainment experienced a system disruption, which we are working diligently to resolve,” the company said in a statement.
In related news, Sony is settling US government charges that it misled consumers about its PlayStation Vita handheld gaming console.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the settlement on Tuesday, saying it took issue with some of the advertising claims that Sony Computer Entertainment America, the US-based arm of the PlayStation business, made about “game-changing” technology of its PS Vita gaming console.
Among the claims challenged are that the pocket-sized console would revolutionize gaming mobility by allowing consumers to play their PlayStation 3 (PS3) games via “remote play,” and that people could engage in “cross-platform” play by starting a game on a PS3 and continuing it on the PS Vita from where they left off.
The commission said the claims were false.
The agency said that the cross-platform feature was available only for a few PS3 games, and the pause-save features varied among games.
The complaint said that Sony told consumers that PS Vita users could easily access their PS3 games on their hand-held consoles via the “remote play” feature. However, most PS3 games, the commission said, were not playable remotely on the PS Vita.
As part of the proposed settlement, Sony is to provide refunds to people who bought the PS Vita console before June 1, 2012. They are to be eligible for either a US$25 cash or credit refund or a US$50 merchandise voucher from Sony. Sony is to contact consumers about the refunds or vouchers by e-mail.
Additional reporting by AP
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”