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.
