Sony Hack: Chief executive Kazuo Hirai breaks silence on “malicious” cyber-attack
Sony's chief executive Kazuo Hiari yesterday broke his silence on the hacking scandal which has engulfed the company since November, at the International CES trade show in Las Vegas.
In his first public comments on the cyber attack, Hiari said former and current employees of Sony were victims of "one of the most malicious cyber-attacks we have known in recent history."
He praised employees and partners the company worked with to stand up against the "extortionate effort of these criminals".
At the end of November, hackers calling themselves "Guardians of Peace" infiltrated the electronic company's computer systems, subsequently leaking embarrassing emails and personal details of celebrities.
It was revealed that Sony employees think Adam Sandler gets paid too much and Idris Elba had been touted to play the new James Bond.
The US has levied sanctions against North Korea which it blames for the attack, however the renegade state denied its involvement, denouncing the restrictions as hostile and inflammatory.
Hiari said:
I have to say freedom of speech, freedom of expression – those are important lifelines of Sony and our entertainment business, and today as you all know, The Interview is available through multiple online venues and through satellite, telecom and cable partners as well as 580 independent theatres alone in the US.
Last year Sony temporarily pulled the release of controversial comedy The Interview, which depicts the fictional assassination of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, after receiving terrorist threats from hackers.
It later reversed this policy and the film made £9.6m from online sales in just four days during the Christmas period, making it the production houses' most successful online film to-date.