Studio at Center of Netflix Leak Breaks Silence EXCLUSIVE VarietyHello Rick. Hello Jill. Larson Studios president Rick Larson and his wife and business partner, Jill Larson, didnt recognize the number that sent them these two short text messages via their personal cell phones two days before Christmas last year, so they simply ignored them. We didnt really think much of them, said Jill Larson. Little did they know that the messages were part of Hollywoods biggest security breach since the Sony Pictures hack of 2. But in an exclusive interview with Variety, the Larson Studios principals are breaking their silence on an incident that threatened the existence of their family owned audio post production business. An incident that led them to quietly wire more than 5. Netflix drama series Orange Is the New Black, leak online. Both Larsons got another message from the same number on Christmas Eve. Why are you ignoring me, check your email for a message that will change your life, that vaguely threatening message read. They still werent too concerned but quickly changed their minds when the email arrived a day later. A hacking group calling itself the Dark Overlord told them it had broken into Larsons server, and was threatening to leak all of the companys data. Larson Studios chief engineer David Dondorf and director of digital systems Chris Unthank left their families on Christmas morning and rushed to the studio to examine the hackers claims. Der Aufenthaltsort dieses NPCs ist nicht bekannt. In der Nicht kategorisiertNPCs Kategorie. Hinzugefgt in World of Warcraft Cataclysm. Immer auf dem Laufenden. Once I was able to look at our server, my hands started shaking, and I almost threw up, Unthank remembered. The hackers had stolen and deleted all of the data, just as they had threatened in their letter. They demanded ransom payments via the crypto currency Bitcoin to return what they had stolen. Unthank and Dondorf unplugged everything, and Dondorf immediately called the FBI. But the authorities werent much help on Christmas morning. They were, I think, sympathetic, a bit overwhelmed, recalled Jill Larson, vice president and head of administration at the company, which has been in business in Hollywood since 2. Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan requires no priming or sanding You can see before and afters on our blog and buy the paint from us online or in the shop. October 10th, 2017. The new B360 Ambisonics Encoder available separately as well as in the new 360 Ambisonics Tools. The new 360 Ambisonics Tools combo combining. A neat technique to create your own nail art decals with video. The FBI asked for a form to be filled out, and it was. But forms dont tell you how to respond to ransom demands from hackers with sinister names. So Larson Studios hired private data security experts to find out what had happened and what to do next. They eventually pieced together how the attack had unfolded. The Dark Overlord had been scanning the internet for PCs running older versions of Windows that it could easily break into, and happened to stumble across an old computer at Larson Studios that was still running Windows 7. They were basically just trolling around to see if they could find a computer that they could open, Dondorf explained. It wasnt aimed at us. Next, the company significantly beefed up its security, and also closely examined what had been stolen. We took a large part of January trying to figure out what exactly they had, Jill Larson said. This involved extensive communication with the hackers entirely via email. Before we were willing to pay any kind of extortion, we wanted some proof. The Larsons didnt immediately decide to pay the ransom. It was an evolutionary process, Jill Larson said. The Dark Overlord had given us a very short window to respond. They were threatening us with actually releasing Orange Is the New Black before New Years. So the feeling was that we needed to at least initially agree to cooperate and buy time. Meanwhile, the security company hired by Larson was looking into the Dark Overlords past attacks. The hacking group had targeted a number of healthcare facilities and other businesses in the previous months. It was Gorilla Glue before us, and a childrens charity right after, Dondorf said. Past reports seemed to suggest that paying up actually worked. They would return the materials, destroy the materials, and it was over. This was the way they work, said Rick Larson. When the hackers finally delivered proof, at the end of January, of what theyd stolen, including dozens of titles from major studios such as Netflix, ABC, CBS and Disney, Larson did two things It filed an official police report, and it decided to pay. We had a trust from our clients to protect their intellectual property, and the best way to do that with these people was to pay them, or so the thinking was at the time, Rick Larson recalled. The hackers had demanded a payment of 5. Bitcoin, which equaled a little more than 5. Buying and sending Bitcoin is not the easiest thing in the world, we found out, explained Jill Larson. First, she had to wire the money to Coinbase, a kind of internet bank for Bitcoin transactions. That led alarm bells to go off at Larsons regular bank, which urged the company to talk to the FBI one more time. Once I was able to look at our server, my hands started shaking, and I almost threw up. Chris Unthank, Larson Studios director of digital systems. On Feb. 6, Jill Larson and Unthank met with special agent John Palmieri, a cyber crime specialist from the agencys Los Angeles field office. Palmieri advised them against paying, and told them that the FBIs recommendation is to not communicate with extortionists. But they also understand that individual businesses make what is their best decision for their business, said Jill Larson. The FBI was aware that we were going to do this. An FBI spokesman declined comment for this story. Coinbase didnt let Jill Larson pay the entire ransom all at once, so she spent about a week in February buying Bitcoins and sending them to the Dark Overlord, 1. After that, Larson Studios received a final email from the Dark Overlord acknowledging the payment. It seemed like the company had dodged a bullet. That obviously is not what played out, Rick Larson said. A few quiet weeks ensued. Then, on March 3. FBI with information that the hackers were using the shows stolen in December to blackmail various Hollywood studios. A few days later, the phones at Larson started to ring, with the security departments of various studios on the other end of the line. And with that, some hard conversations began. Larson Studios previously hadnt told any of its clients of the breach. We were very much under a heavy threat from the Dark Overlord, said Jill Larson. One of the agreements was You dont tell anybody that this happened, we wont tell anybody this happened. She said the hackers even contacted some journalists to ping Larson and ask about a possible incident, just to see whether it would spill the beans. The company kept quiet, and the hackers told the Larsons they had done the right thing. Now, the studios wanted to know the whole story, and the Larsons told them everything that had happened. Upon hearing the news, some studios decided to take their business elsewhere. But the majority stuck with the company, and instead helped to further beef up its security. We work closely with the studios, said Rick Larson. Some have just been very supportive. News of the hack broke in April, when the Dark Overlord publicly tried to pressure Netflix. The hackers first leaked one unreleased episode of Orange Is the New Black, and when Netflix didnt pay, followed up with nine more episodes a month and a half before the show was scheduled to premiere on the service. Netflix declined comment for this story. Soon after, another email from the Dark Overlord arrived at Larson. They said they felt they owed us an explanation as to why they had done it, said Jill Larson. In the email, the hackers argued that Larson Studios had broken the terms of the agreement by talking to the FBI. So they decided to punish us. Little is known about the Dark Overlord, representatives of which didnt respond to a request for comment for this story. Most security experts assume that it is not the work of one person but a group, which frequently hacks and then blackmails small businesses. It would also go on to leak an ABC show, Steve Harveys Funderdome, in June. A lot of what went on was ignorance. We are a small company. Rick LarsonDont trust hackers, quipped Rick Larson when asked about lessons learned. Then, he gets serious. Those weeks in January were a confusing and stressful time for the small family business, and the pressure led the company to take actions it now regrets. With the information that we had, we made the best decisions we could make at the time, he explained. Those would not be the decisions that we would make now. Play. Station Portable Wikipedia. Play. Station Portable. Original model PSP 1. PSP. Developer. Sony Computer Entertainment. Manufacturer. Sony. Product family. Play. Station. Type. Handheld game console. Generation. Seventh generation. Release date. JP December 1. NA March 2. 4, 2. BR March 2. 4, 2. INA March 2. 4, 2. EU September 1, 2. Asia September 1, 2. Africa September 1, 2. AU September 1, 2. Discontinued. NA January 2. JP June 2. 01. 4PAL December 2. Units sold. Worldwide 8. November 2. 01. 3123Media. UMD, digital distribution. Operating system. Play. Station Portable system software. CPU3. 33 MHz MIPSR4. Memory. 32 MBPSP 1. MB 2. 00. 0, 3. 00. Go, E1. 00. 0Storage. Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo. PSP Go Memory Stick Micro M2Display. TFT LCDPSP Go 3. Sound. Stereo speakers, Mono speaker PSP E1. PSP 3. 00. 0, PSP Go, 3. Connectivity. Wi Fi 8. PSP E1. 00. 0,4Ir. DAPSP 1. 00. 0, USB, BluetoothPSP GoOnline services. Play. Station Network. Dimensions. PSP1. PSP2. 00. 03. 00. PSP GO 6. 9 mm 2. PSP E1. 00. 0 7. Weight. PSP1. 00. PSP2. 00. 03. 00. PSP GO 1. 58 grams 5. PSP E1. 00. 0 2. Best selling game. Monster Hunter Portable 3rd 4. May 6, 2. 01. 15Backwardcompatibility. PSonedownload onlyPredecessor. Pocket. Station. Successor. Play. Station Vita. The Play. Station Portable PSP is a handheld game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. 6 Development of the handheld was announced during E3 2. May 1. 1, 2. 00. 4, at a Sony press conference before E3 2. The system was released in Japan on December 1. North America on March 2. PAL region on September 1, 2. It primarily competed with the Nintendo DS, as part of the seventh generation of video games consoles. The Play. Station Portable became the most powerful portable system when launched, just after the Nintendo DS in 2. It was the first real competitor to Nintendos handheld domination, where many challengers, such as SNKs Neo Geo Pocket and Nokias N Gage, failed. 1. Its GPU encompassed high end graphics on a handheld, while its 4. TV tuner, made the Play. Station Portable a major mobile entertainment device at the time. 1. It also features connectivity with the Play. Station 3, other PSPs and the Internet. 1. It is the only handheld console to use an optical disc format, Universal Media Disc UMD, as its primary storage medium. 1. The original PSP model PSP 1. PSP 2. 00. 0Slim Lite in 2. Another remodeling followed in 2. PSP 3. 00. 0, which included a new screen and an inbuilt microphone. A complete redesign, PSP Go, came in 2. PSP E1. 00. 0, in 2. The PSP line was succeeded by the Play. Station Vita, released in December 2. Japan, and in February 2. The Play. Station Vita features backward compatibility with many Play. Station Portable games digitally released on the Play. Station Network, via Play. Station Store. As of 2. Play. Station Portable games digitally because Sony shut down direct access to the Play. Station Store via PSP on March 3. Shipments of Play. Station Portable hardware ended throughout 2. Worldwide production of software UMDs ended when the last Japanese factory closed by the end of 2. HistoryeditSony first announced development of the Play. Station Portable at a press conference before E3 2. Although mock ups of the system were not present at the press conference or E3,2. Sony did release extensive technical details regarding the new system. 2. Then CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Jose Villeta called the device the Walkman of the 2. Century in a reference to the consoles multimedia capabilities. 2. Several gaming websites were impressed by the handhelds computing capabilities and looked forward to the systems potential as a gaming platform. 72. Nintendo had been dominating the handheld market since launching its Game Boy in 1. Segas Game Gear 1. Bandais Wonder. Swan 1. Japan. 2. 8 Later offerings from both SNK and Nokia also failed to cut into Nintendos share. citation needed The PSP was called the first legitimate competitor to Nintendos dominance in the handheld market by an IDC analyst in 2. The first concept images of the PSP appeared in November 2. Sony Corporate Strategy Meeting and showed a PSP with flat buttons and no analog stick. 3. Although some expressed concern over the lack of an analog joystick,3. PSP was officially unveiled at the Sony press conference during E3 2. In addition to announcing more details about the system and its accessories,3. Sony also released a list of 9. Several PSP game demos, such as Konamis Metal Gear Acid and SCE Studio Liverpools Wipeout Pure were also shown at the conference. 3. On October 1. 7, 2. Sony announced that the PSP would launch in Japan on December 1. US1. 81 in 2. 00. US2. 26 in 2. 00. Value System. 3. 6 The consoles launch was a success with over 2. Different color variations were also sold in bundle packs, which cost more than usual, around 2. Sony announced on February 3, 2. PSP would go on sale in North America on March 2. MSRP of US2. 49CA2. Some expressed concern over the high price,3. US2. 0 higher than the systems price in Japan and more than 1. Nintendo DS. 4. 0 Despite the concerns, the PSPs North American launch was a success,4. Sonys claim that 5. The PSP was originally to have a simultaneous PAL region and North American launch,3. March 1. 5, 2. 00. Sony announced that the PAL region launch would be delayed because of high demand for the console in Japan and North America. 4. A month later, on April 2. Sony announced that the PSP would launch in the PAL region on September 1, 2. Sony defended the high price, which was nearly US1. North America, by pointing out that North American consumers had to pay local sales taxes and that the VAT sales tax was higher in the UK than the US. 4. Despite the high price, the consoles PAL region launch was a resounding success, selling more than 1. UK alone, selling out of all stock nationwide in the UK within three hours of launch, more than doubling the previous first day sales record of 8. Nintendo DS. The system also enjoyed great success in other areas of the PAL region with more than 2. Australia4. 8 and nearly one million units sold across Europe in the first week. 4. Technical specificationseditThe following Technical Specifications apply to all PSPs unless noted for a specific PSP series 5. The main CPU, PSP Media Engine and the NAND flash for the System Software TA 0. The Wi Fi Module with the Serial and Headphone Jack TA 0. General Dimensions. Widescreen. TFT LCD. Data communication. AV out. Flash Storage. Memory Stick PRO Duo Expansion Slot Memory Stick Micro M2 Expansion Slot Internal Flash Storagecitation neededInternal NAND flash used by System Software is partitioned into 4 sectors. MB PSP 1. 00. 0flash. MB PSP 1. 00. 0flash. B PSP 1. 00. 0flash. B PSP 1. 00. 0PSP N1. GB total, 1. 4. 7. GB usable. Part of the internal storage is shared with System Software. PSP 1. 00. 0 3. MB total, all of it used by the System Software. PSP 2. 00. 03. 00. MB total, 3. 2MB used for system, another 3. UMD cache, available memory not changed for compatibility with 1. Internal flash uses the FAT3. Memory Stick media is compatible with both FAT and FAT3. GB or more must use the FAT3. Audio UMD Universal Media Disc 6. Disc Diameter. 66. Laser Diode. Dual Layer Storage Capacity of up to 1. GBTransfer Rate of up to 1. Mbits 1. 3. 75 MBsRead Only. Shock Resistant. Secure ROM by AESRSA Crypto System. Unique Disc IDs. Distribute System Software Updates. Power Allegrex CPU Sony CXD2. GG CPUMIPS3. 2R2 based 3. Semiconductor. CMOS Process. MHz set at 2. 22 MHz by default 1. V1. 6 k. B Instruction Cache 1. B Data Cache, no hardware MMUSi. P. 3. 2 MB e. DRAM 2. Gbits. Embedded Vector. FPU 3. 2 GFLOPSEmbedded Graphics Core 1 5. MHz set at 1. 11 MHz by default 1. V2. 56 bit Bus at 2. Gbits. 3D Curved Surface and 3. D Polygon. Compressed Textures. Hardware Clipping, Morphing, Bone8Hardware Tessellator Unit, 4 passes per cycle. Bzier surface, Bzier curve and B Spline NURBS44, 1. Subdivision. Graphics Core 2 6. Rendering Engine and Surface Engine. Pixel Fill Rate 6. Megapixelss. Up to 3. Million Polygons with Transform, Lighting and Texturing2. Full Color RGBA2. MHz 1. 2. V at 2. Gbits. 2 MB e. DRAM VRAM, 5. Gbits total bandwidth. D CG Extended Instruction Set. Media Engine Sony CXD1. CPUMIPS3. 2R2 based 3. CPU save for lack of an FPU9. Semiconductor. CMOS Process. MHz set at 2. 22 MHz by default 1.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |