FBI: New hacking threat could cripple businesses

CULVER CITY, Calif., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The FBI warned that hackers could cripple companies nationwide with destructive malware, similar to the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment's computer systems last week.

The FBI alerted companies to watch out for destructive malware because it could make some hard drives inaccessible and the data costly to retrieve. According to the private FBI alert, the hackers in the Sony Pictures attack used tools similar to those used to attack South Korean television stations and ATMs last year, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Officials said the Sony Pictures malware attack on Nov. 24 was most likely launched in retaliation for a Sony movie, called The Interview, about a plot to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The hackers call themselves Guardians of Peace and are being linked back to North Korea. The attack crippled the company's internal systems, including email.

At least five unreleased films, including Annie and Fury, have been leaked online and illegally downloaded.

The information being released in the wake of the Sony attack includes employees' personal information, performance reviews, salaries, birthdays and social security numbers, including the top executives. There is also a spreadsheet listing Sony employees who were laid off or fired in 2014 and a chart that details Sony salaries as compared to competitors.