Sony Pictures confirms LulzSec hacker attack, FBI probe

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Culver City-based Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., the television and movie studio for the Japanese electronics giant, confirmed late Friday that it been hacked and was working with the FBI to identify the attacker.

In a statement, the studio’s chairman Michael Lynton and co-chairman Amy Pascal said that a ‘cyber-crime wave that has affected Sony companies and a number of government agencies, businesses and individuals in recent months has hit Sony Pictures as well.’

‘[Thursday] afternoon a group of criminal hackers known as ‘LulzSec’ claimed to have breached some of our websites,’ the statement said. ‘We have confirmed that a breach has occurred and have taken action to protect against further intrusion.’

The studio said it had hired ‘a respected team of outside experts is conducting a forensic analysis of the attack.’ In addition, it said it had contacted the FBI and was ‘working with them to assist in the identification and apprehension of those responsible for this crime.’

‘We deeply regret and apologize for any inconvenience caused to consumers by this cyber-crime,’ the statement said.

On Friday, LulzSec, a hacker group which has claimed responsibility for hacking PBS’ and Sony’s websites recently, posted personal data from Sony Pictures servers.

The group posted the data to the website Pastebin and the Associated Press reported that it had verified it with people whose information -- including user names, passwords, addresses and phone numbers -- was leaked and indeed from Sony.

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--Peter Pae