Sony hack would have challenged government defences – FBI

[steve2470]

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/12/sony-hack-government-defences-fbi

The cyberattack that crippled Sony Pictures, led to theft of confidential data and leak of movies on the internet would have challenged almost any cyber security measures, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said.

The FBI’s investigation into the attack has found that the level of sophistication of the software used by the hackers was “extremely high” and that the attacks were “organised and certainly persistent.”

“In speaking with Sony and separately, the Mandiant security provider, the malware that was used would have slipped or probably got past 90% of internet defences that are out there today in private industry and [would have] challenged even state government,” Joseph Demarest, assistant director of the FBI’s cyber division told a US Senate hearing.

While security analysts have said that preventing sophisticated and well-funded cyber criminals from breaking into a company is very hard indeed, researchers have criticised Sony Pictures for its poor data security, which allegedly saw login details stored in unencrypted spreadsheets.