The Sony hack that occurred on November 24, 2014 is believed to have been arranged by an elite North Korean cyber war unit known as Unit 121. It has a membership of 5,000 hackers who largely target South Korea.
The motive for the November 24th attack was revenge for the release of The Interview, a comedy about an attempt to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The North Korean government had threatened to take action if the film was released in June, with the result that the release was delayed while the film was re-edited.
A group that calls itself the “Guardians of Peace,” which has ties to North Korea’s Unit 121, claimed responsibility for the hack. Many cinema chains refused to show the film, which subsequently was only available for online rental
This cyber attack was the first hint that governments all over the world are involved in cyber warfare. This hack should also have served as a warning for U.S. government officials like Hillary Clinton, who is currently under investigation by the FBI for using her personal e-mail. Her personal e-mail could easily have been hacked and that would have been a major embarrassment in her bid for the presidency.