Top Democrat Writes to Sony, Asks for Details of Hack
Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, penned a letter to Sony CEO Michael Lynton asking that the company hand over more information about their “devastating cyber attack.” Cummings says Sony’s knowledge on what exactly happened will help Congress implement new federal cybersecurity laws and improve existing ones that can prevent future cybersecurity breaches.
“The increasing number and sophistication of both cyber attacks on both public and private entities pose a clear and present danger to our national security and highlight the urgent need for greater collaboration,” Cummings wrote.
He stressed the importance of protecting sensitive government data that could leak if the federal government were hacked in a similar manner, as many reports indicate that the Social Security numbers and healthcare records of as many as 47,000 current and former Sony employees could have been stolen.
In the letter, Cummings asked Sony to detail the exact scope of the hack, the number of employees affected and to what extent, the reasons why the breach went undetected for so long, and what the company has done since the hack to improve data protection. He also asked the company for any recommendations they have that would improve cybersecurity laws.
The cyberattack, which, along with subsequent terror threats, disrupted Sony’s plans to release The Interview, was concluded by the FBI to have been orchestrated by the North Korea government. On Monday, Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman invited Sony Pictures to screen The Interview at the Capitol.
The letter, sent on Tuesday, gave Lynton a month to respond.
[Image via screengrab]
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