The Sony hack: what we've learned so far

Sony Pictures Entertainment headquarters in Culver City, Calif. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (AP / Nick Ut)

Last month, a group of hackers infiltrated the computer network of Sony Pictures Entertainment, stealing massive amounts of data and handing it over to the press.

Several of the Hollywood studio’s movies were leaked, private email exchanges were exposed and financial information was made public by the hackers, who promise to leak more in the near future.

As the FBI continues to search for the group responsible, here’s what we know so far:

A lot of data was stolen

It’s estimated about 100 terabytes were taken from Sony’s computer systems, enough to fill the world’s largest hard drive many times over.

That includes five movies – four of them unreleased – that were leaked to pirating websites: Fury, Annie, Still Alice, Mr. Turner and To Write Love on Her Arms. A working screenplay of the upcoming James Bond movie SPECTRE was also confirmed to be among the stolen data.

Also made public was a list of Sony executive salaries and private email exchanges. According to the hackers, more information will be leaked in the near future.

The hack is embarrassing for Sony

In 2011, the company was forced to temporarily take down its online gaming PlayStation Network after a breach compromised the personal data of 77 million players. This second attack means Sony didn’t follow through with their promise to up their protection against these hacks, according to cyber security expert Claudiu Popa.

“They said they were pulling no punches and they were going after the attackers and they were beefing up their security at the time,” Popa told CTV News. “Unfortunately it appears that security has been lacking at the firm since.”

The company’s executives have also had to backpedal after email exchanges were made public. One of Sony’s co-chairs apologized for comments made about U.S. President Barack Obama that were called racist. Producer Scott Rudin also caught heat for calling Angelina Jolie a “minimally talented spoiled brat,” while Kevin Hart and Adam Sandler were also insulted in leaked comments and exchanges.

The hackers are still at large

The alleged hackers call themselves “GOP,” or the “Guardians of Peace,” but little else is known about the group.

The group allegedly put a message up on Sony employees’ computers on Nov. 24 featuring a red skeleton and threats made in broken English that they would “continue till our request be met.”

Some have speculated they are from North Korea and are retaliating for the upcoming Sony comedy The Interview, which details a plot to assassinate the country’s leader. Though the attacks seem similar to ones made on South Korea in 2013 by North Korea – which called the Sony attacks a “righteous deed” – some experts doubt the attack originated from the volatile nation.

Sony is in damage control mode

Sony is warning media outlets against publishing any material obtained from the hack, calling the documents “stolen information” and asking for the data to be destroyed.

Lawyer David Boies sent a letter to news organizations Sunday stating that the company “does not consent to your possession, review, copying, dissemination, publication, uploading, downloading or making any use” the documents leaked by the hackers.

Cyber security expert Popa said the hackers could still be holding more embarrassing information about the company, so not only is Sony’s image at stake, but its bottom line is as well.

“Sony is Sony. It’s a brand. And the brand has been damaged, from a reputational perspective,” he said. “And reputation almost always translates into financial losses."