Sony Hackers Reportedly Worked From Thailand

North Korea has officially denied responsibility for the attack

Investigations into the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment's electronic systems appear to show that the hackers worked from a hotel in Thailand.

Cybersecurity experts have determined that hackers used an Internet connection at the five-star St. Regis Bangkok hotel to leak Sony documents to the web, Bloomberg reports. The incident took place at 12:25 a.m. on Dec. 2.

It isn't clear whether the hackers were working from a communal space within the hotel, such as a lobby or guest room, or if they worked from a remote location.

Experts also tracked a virus being used by the hackers in the attack to an IP address at a Thailand university.

According to Bloomberg, experts have noticed key similarities between the Sony breach and attacks by DarkSeoul, a hacking group with ties to North Korea. The Sony hackers' code apparently had techniques and component names in common with those used in 2013 attacks by DarkSeoul.

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The Sony leak included documents revealing salaries of Sony execs and movie stars, profitability of the studio's films and over 47,000 social security numbers from past and current employees. Kevin Mandia, head of the security firm investigating the hack, called the attack "unprecedented in nature" and "carried out by an organized group."

For its part, North Korea has officially denied involvement in the Sony hack, although the nation's spokesperson suggested it could be the "righteous deed" of a supporter. North Korean officials have been up in arms about the Sony film The Interview in which James Franco and Seth Rogen play guys who are sent to North Korea to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un.

Email: Ryan.Gajewski@pgmedia.org

Twitter: @_RyanGajewski