One of the largest leaks of private property might be linked back to a five-star hotel in the capital of Thailand. Sony Pictures became the latest victim of this perilous trend in the tech world, further display that even the major players can be targets — all it takes is an active internet connection.
According to an unnamed source from Bloomberg, the hack was carried out by hijacking the St. Regis hotel’s high-speed wi-fi and subsequently leaked 47,000 social security numbers and other sensitive information. Popular opinion maintains that the attack was carried out by DarkSeoul, a group tied closely to North Korea.
The report has not ruled whether the attack was carried out from a guest room or public area, but Cybersecutrity experts are in the process of tracing the digital footprints. It has not been ruled out, alternatively, that the attack was carried out from another remote area and was merely exploiting the hotel’s publically available internet. The operators of the hotel, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, have yet to release an officially statement.
The motive remains unclear — what prompted an attack of this scale on Sony Pictures? It does not appear the motivating factor was to make a profit, rather than more of a personal grudge against the company. North Korea has since described the leak as a “righteous deed”, leading many to speculate that they were directly connected. Should North Korea be ruled a direct contributor to the leak, it would have major implications on the existing world of cyber warfare.
Although Sony Pictures will face the brunt of the consequences of this leak, this is an important chapter in the book of cyberwarfare. Are we capable of protecting intellectual property on a global platform? As the world increasingly becomes ‘connected’, it’s difficult to say where the line can be drawn.