'Wiper' Attacks: How Sony Hack Compares

Infographic Analyzes Similarities Among Breaches Mathew J. Schwartz (euroinfosec) • December 9, 2014

The "wiper" malware attack against U.S.-based Sony Pictures Entertainment has numerous similarities to previous wiper attacks against firms located in Saudi Arabia and South Korea, anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab reports.

While that's no smoking gun proving that the same group is behind all three attacks, "it is extraordinary that such unusual and focused acts of large-scale cyber destruction are being carried out with clearly recognizable similarities," says Kurt Baumgartner, a Kaspersky Lab principal researcher, in a blog post.

Here's how these three separate wiper-malware campaigns are similar, as well as the key ways in which they differ:

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About the Author

Mathew J. Schwartz

Executive Editor, DataBreachToday & Europe, ISMG

Schwartz is an award-winning journalist with two decades of experience in magazines, newspapers and electronic media. He has covered the information security and privacy sector throughout his career. Before joining Information Security Media Group in 2014, where he now serves as the executive editor, DataBreachToday and for European news coverage, Schwartz was the information security beat reporter for InformationWeek and a frequent contributor to DarkReading, among other publications. He lives in Scotland.