In the wake of the recent Sony Pictures hack, the FBI has issued a confidential report urging businesses to remain vigilant against new malicious software that can be used to launch “destructive” cyberattacks.
According to Reuters, the five-page confidential warning doesn’t specifically list the Sony incident. It does, however, name an attack that cybersecurity experts tell the news agency is a large-scale hack that took down the Hollywood company. While similar attacks have occurred in South Korea and throughout the Middle East, the latest is believed to “mark [the] first major destructive cyber attack waged against a company on U.S. soil.”
The “flash” FBI warning issued to businesses shared some insight and technical details around how malware works, as well as how to respond to it, encouraging businesses to reach out to the FBI if they identified similar software.
“The FBI routinely advises private industry of various cyber threat indicators observed during the course of our investigations. This data is provided in order to help systems administrators guard against the actions of persistent cyber criminals,’ explained FBI spokesman Joshua Campbell.
Re/code has reported that Sony are probing the incident to see whether those responsible for carrying out the hack are working behalf of North Korea, and perhaps operating in China.
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