N.Korean Fingerprints All Over Cyber Attack on Sony

North Korea is the prime suspect in a recent cyber attack on Sony Pictures, the studio behind a Hollywood comedy about the attempted assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Bloomberg on Tuesday reported Korean language code was found in the malware that was used to cripple Sony's computer systems.

"Other aspects of the breach bear important similarities to attacks that wiped out the computers of South Korean banks and broadcasters in March 2013," Bloomberg added quoting sources in the investigation.

"The malware, designed by unknown operators, has the ability to overwrite data files, including what's called the master boot record, making computers unusable," Bloomberg quoted the FBI as saying in a flash alert to U.S. companies.

The hackers leaked the seven-figure pay top Sony executives take home as well as the company's latest blockbusters including "Fury" and "Annie" onto the Internet.

They used computers in Thailand, Italy, and Poland that have nothing to do with Sony by infecting them with a virus, the FBI speculated.

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Hacking Attack Leaks Sony Blockbusters Online

A number of latest blockbusters by Sony Pictures have been leaked as a result of a hacking attack on the company's computer system.

The attack has been speculatively linked to North Korea, because Sony is behind a comedy film that imagines the bungled assassination of the regime's leader Kim Jong-un.

But in the process four films were released on the Internet, including the potentially more lucrative war film "Fury" starring Brad Pitt, which could costs the company a hefty chunk of revenues.

"Fury" has already been released in South Korean theaters, but as of Sunday, 1.2 million illegal downloads of the film had been reported. "Annie," a remake of a classic musical starring Cameron Diaz, Oscar-nominated "Still Alice" starring Juliann Moore, and "Mr. Turner" directed by Mike Leigh, have also been leaked.

Some are already available on illegal file-sharing sites, but the leak could still harm their theatrical release in South Korea and some other countries.

Sony Pictures hired FireEye's Mandiant forensic unit to investigate and restore damages done by the hackers, and they are reportedly checking whether the attacks were orchestrated by North Korea.

"Hackers who knocked Sony Pictures computer systems offline last week used tools very similar to those used last year to attack South Korean television stations and ATMs, people briefed on the investigation said," the Wall Street Journal reported.

A spokesperson of the North Korean UN mission denied any knowledge on the issue and accused "hostile groups" of trying to pin the attack on the North.

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50 Cent Denies Attack Allegations

LOS ANGELES -- Rapper 50 Cent denies allegations he attacked his ex-girlfriend and trashed her condo.

The "In da Club" singer's lawyer says there's no warrant outstanding on the domestic violence and vandalism charges against 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in jail and $46,000 in fines.

The woman told police that during a June 23 argument, Jackson began destroying property at her Toluca Lake condo before she locked herself into a bedroom. She says Jackson kicked open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing injury.

Police estimated about $7,100 in damage to the home.

The woman told police she had been in a three-year relationship and has a baby with Jackson.

His arraignment is July 22.

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