Reference no: EM133140045

In 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment had planned to release the movie The Interview, a satire about a plot to assassinate the president of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. In the weeks before the release of the movie, Sony experienced several cyberattacks believed to be the work of hackers from North Korea working for the government. The movie had received low reviews prior to the cyberattacks, but the publicity that surrounded the cyberattacks led to an increased interest in the movie. After the cyberattacks, President Obama, for the first time, publicly attributed the attacks to the North Korean government as an act of retaliation against Sony and raised the issue of foreign obstruction of the First Amendment rights in the United States. It raised the question of whether the government has a responsibility to protect corporate networks and constitutional rights of citizens against attacks by other nation-states.

The hackers, who called themselves Guardians of Peace (GOP), released documents from the Sony computer network over several weeks. These documents included financial documents, health documents of employees, internal emails, and private information about actors. They demanded that Sony halt the release of the movie. The GOP also threatened movie theaters that intended to show the movie with violent attacks.

On December 17, Sony announced that the movie premiere was suspended. Two days later, the FBI announced that North Korea was behind the attack, and on January 2, 2015, President Obama signed an executive order for new sanctions against several North Korean organizations. Obama also criticized Sony for having suspended the release of the movie.

Case Questions

What were the motivations of the attackers? '

What were the impacts of the cyberterrorist attack?

Why do you think President Obama stated that Sony's response to canceling the premier was a mistake?

What steps should be taken so that all businesses and the U.S. government can work together to prevent cyberattacks?