Sony Pictures has purchased the movie rights to the story of the reporter who brought the Target credit card hack to light. The Hollywood Reporter writes that the company bought the rights to the New York Times story "Reporting From the Web’s Underbelly," a profile of security reporter Brian Krebs.

Krebs broke the news of the hack back in December , when approximately 40 million credit card numbers were stolen, reportedly as a result of a malware-carrying phishing e-mail . The Times wrote about Krebs' coverage of the hack in February.

As the Times article says, Krebs is deeply embedded in the cyber security community, with friends including Russian cybercriminals who "leak him documents about their rivals" and enemies who have swatted his house and "sent fecal matter… to his doorstep."

As Hollywood leaves behind the board game movie trend, it appears the industry is taking an interest in people's relationships with technology, with mixed results: Her won an Academy Award, but The Fifth Estate failed commercially and received mixed reviews.

Krebs himself posted about the story option on his own site, where he states that the first he heard of the potential deal was when the author of his Times profile forwarded him a message from a Hollywood producer. The producer was interested in Krebs' "life rights," but Krebs was "was so overwhelmed and distracted with travel… that he neglected to follow up on it."

It appears that Sony Pictures moved ahead to get the rights to the article without Krebs' involvement or direct permission. Krebs writes, "I still have yet to work out the details with Sony… I would be delighted if I could influence the selection of the leading man." He humbly suggests Edward Norton.