A GROWING number of web security experts are casting doubt on the theory that North Korea was behind the hacking attack that crippled Sony Pictures' computers and possibly leaked unreleased movies online. Speculation has been rampant that the hard-line communist state sponsored last week's hack in anger over the new Sony film 'The Interview', in which Seth Rogen and James Franco play television journalists assigned by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

It's been a rough week for Sony execs (million-dollar salaries notwithstanding). And things are only going to get worse. Which would almost be enough to make you feel bad for the poor schmucks in IT—that is, until you realize that they hid their most sensitive password data under the label "Passwords." Go ahead and slam your head against something hard. We'll wait.

Some gamers who were able to buy a 20th Anniversary PS4 before the limited-edition systems sold out almost immediately are turning to eBay to sell the commemorative console. The online auction site features numerous listings for the rare PS4 system, which as was announced last week, and went on sale the evening of December 6 during PlayStation Experience. Sony manufactured just 12,300 of the consoles, with each unit individually numbered.

The latest data leaked from Sony Pictures Entertainment by hackers reveals that Sony executives had accused Netflix of breaching its licensing contract for Sony Pictures Television (SPT) shows by allowing customers in foreign markets to use virtual private networks to stream them, calling it piracy that is “semi-sanctioned by Netflix.”

One easy takeaway from perusing leaked emails from Sony’s TV and movie division is that the company, like the rest of the Hollywood establishment, absolutely loathes digital piracy and everything associated with it—so much so that a plan to circulate a fake version of a television show was praised for being “clever” but spiked because of a strict policy against using torrent sites. “Personally, I love this… unfortunately the studio position is that we absolutely cannot post content...

Today on The Verge we published a story about a major operation by the MPAA to broadly and significantly impact the distribution of information, which would impact how free speech works on the internet. We obtained this information from a massive hack whose prime objective was to punish a US studio for exercising its free speech rights. The irony is not lost on us.

The hits on Sony keep coming. As journalists pore over hundreds of thousands of internal Sony emails the hacker group calling itself Guardians of Peace starting releasing on Nov. 24, more sensitive information continues to be uncovered, including revelations published on Friday by The Daily Beast, Re/code, Gawker and The Verge. To date, the hackers have released Sony executives' salaries, top-secret profitability data, employees' Social Security numbers...

The Sony Pictures head has weathered intense scrutiny due to the film. At the premiere of The Interview, Seth Rogen took to the stage to say a few words. “Before we start, we just want to thank Amy Pascal for having the balls to make this movie!” Rogen said to raucous applause, according to Variety. It was a show of support and gratitude from Rogen, who co-wrote and co-starred in the assassination comedy, for Pascal, the Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chair, who has weathered a storm of...

Sony Pictures Entertainment told certain news organizations on Sunday to stop publishing information contained in documents stolen by hackers who attacked the movie studio's computer network last month, three media groups reported. The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety published stories reporting that they had each received a letter from David Boies, an attorney for Sony, demanding that the outlets stop reporting information contained in the documents and immediately...

The Sony hackers are threatening an attack on people who go out to see The Interview, writing in a message that they "recommend you to keep yourself distant" from movie theaters and other screening locations. The hackers previously promised to deliver a "Christmas gift," and while that originally sounded like another trove of leaked data, they are now implying that it may be an attack. "Warning[.] We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places 'The Interview' be shown, including...

It's been a big day for news surrounding the massive, ongoing Sony hack saga. First, major movie chains announced that they would not be screening The Interview after ​​a nonspecific threat of violence from the​ Guardians of Peace, the hacking collective that attacked Sony. Then, ​the company ​announced it was canceling the release of the movie altogether. Now, the government ​is suggesting that it ​really is ​North Korea behind the attack.

A number of people — The Verge included — have called on Sony to release The Interview online, be it streaming à la Netflix / Hulu or for sale on a service like iTunes / Google Play. In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria (which will air in its entirety tonight), Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton says that while Sony "has every desire" to release the film, online isn't the immediate option. The network has been teasing the interview all day — here's the relevant snippet...

Following a very public rebuke from President Obama for caving to terrorist demands, Sony Pictures said today it is committed to getting The Interview seen by audiences. Two days ago, a studio spokesperson basically said the movie was dead, telling Deadline, “Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film.” Here’s the studio’s official statement, on the heels of CEO Michael Lynton’s defensive appearance on CNN (read his remarks below)...

Line-by-line, here's what North Korea really means when it, say, threatens to attack the White House.

Many have called for Sony to release ‘The Interview’ online. However, Sony CEO Michael Lynton stated earlier that there has not been a major video on demand service, “that has stepped forward and said they are willing to distribute this movie for us.” Several major movie chains pulled out of the scheduled Christmas Day release of the film after hacker group Guardians of Peace threatened to attack any theater that decided to show the film. The studio said it was forced to then cancel...

The Interview is making it out for Christmas. After a week of drama surrounding hacking, threats, and Presidential disses, Sony has decided to give The Interview a limited theatrical release on December 25th. "We have never given up on releasing The Interview, and we're excited our movie will be in a number of theaters on Christmas Day," Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment, says in a statement. "At the same time, we are continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters...

YouTube, the world's largest video web site, has tentatively agreed to help Sony Pictures distribute "The Interview" via the Internet, according to sources with direct knowledge of the ongoing negotiations. The sources cautioned that the deal could still fall apart. But if Sony Pictures can get the deal done in time, "The Interview" will have a historic simultaneous release in both living rooms and theaters.

Best known among gamers, Lizard Squad is both despised and revered for their seemingly random assaults on the video game world. They've claimed attacks on Call of Duty, Xbox, Sony Playstation, and now are being linked to the Sony Pictures hack.

A million dollars in Christmas Day ticket sales isn't exactly Sony acing The Interview. But the experience of the world's first premium video-on-demand release is a nice thing to have on the résumé. Playing at only 330 hastily arranged independent U.S. theaters after the studio meltdown heard 'round the world, The Interview averaged about $3,000 per venue on Thursday, which would be considered solid...

As you may have heard the hacker group “Lizard Squad” has claimed responsibility for the hack of Sony and PlayStation’s online gaming services that shut down on Christmas Day and were still down until some minutes ago from writing this article (12:40 p.m CST).