The massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures could cost the company about $100 million, security experts said.
Experts who have studied previous hacks told Reuters that though the cost would be less than the $171 million Sony estimated when its Playsation Network was hacked in 2011; it would still be a huge tab for the company.
Sony would have to pay for tighter security, further investigation and protection of employee profiles and company passwords this time. The attack, which has been deemed the most damaging cyber hack in the US, has also hurt Sony's reputation for its failure to ensure protection of company files.
The attack crippled employee activity and production for almost a week, which would also cost the company another million dollars.
People familiar with the matter told the agency that Sony has insurance cover for such kind of hacks but the insurance only compensates for a portion of the cost.
Sony is still grappling with data breaches. Just after the hacker group that calls itself "Guardians of Peace" released employee passwords, salaries and some unpublished pilot scripts, the group has now released a cache of documents that reveals secret aliases of Hollywood actors who use the alternative identities to check in to hotels and use other services anonymously.
According to the latest data reveal, Tom Hanks uses "Harry Lauder" as an alias while Sarah Michelle Gellar goes by "Neely O' Hara." Natalie Portman and Toby Maguire use "Laura Brown" and "Neil Deep", respectively.
Sony suspects the hacker group belongs to North Korea, which has vehemently denied any involvement. However, the country has called the group "righteous."
Adding to the suspicion is a recent open letter that the hacker group issued to the studio asking it to stop the release of "The Interview." The movie stars James Franco and Seth Rogan, portraying two journalists who land a rare interview with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.
The group anonymously posted the letter on GitHub, a programming tool, and threatened to expose more data if their demands were not met.
"We are sending you our warning again. Do carry out our demand if you want to escape us. And, Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War! You, SONY & FBI, cannot find us. We are perfect as much. The destiny of SONY is totally up to the wise reaction & measure of SONY," the group's message read.
The message could not be independently verified, according to The Verge.
