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Fact check

Is it true: Sony Pictures hack by 'Guardians of Peace' / North Korea Lazarus Group (24 Nov 2014)?

Confirmed5% confidence

Yes — this is confirmed.

FBI attributed the attack to North Korea on 19 December 2014 based on malware code similarities, IP infrastructure, and encryption algorithms consistent with Lazarus Group. DOJ indicted Park Jin Hyok (Bureau 121 / Lazarus Group) on 6 September 2018 for the Sony attack, WannaCry, and Bangladesh Bank heist. ~100 TB exfiltrated; ~70% of Sony corporate data destroyed by wiper. Linked to North Korean opposition to 'The Interview' film.

The claim

On 24 November 2014 a group calling itself the 'Guardians of Peace' launched a wiper attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, destroying approximately 70% of the company's corporate data. Around 10

Key evidence

FBI formal attribution to North Korea, 19 December 2014

Some researchers initially questioned FBI attribution confidence

Read the full evidence file

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