Hackers' Shutdown of 'The Interview' Confirms Coding Is a Superpower 221
theodp writes: The idea of programming as a superpower was touched upon by CS teacher Alfred Thompson back in 2010, but it became a rallying call of sorts for the Hour of Code after Dropbox CEO Drew Houston described coding as "the closest thing we have to a superpower" in a Code.org video that went viral. And if the kids who learned to code with the President last week were dubious about the power of coding, this week's decision by Sony to scrap the release of the satirical film The Interview after a massive hack attack should put aside any doubts, especially after new revelations that Sony had reached out to the White House for help and screened the film for administration officials back in June. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Thursday that the Obama Administration is viewing the Sony attack as a "serious national security matter" and is considering a range of possible options as a response, which could turn things into a contest of U.S. Superpower vs. Coding Superpower. In case it wasn't mentioned last week, remember to always use your coding superpower for good, kids!
Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
"Coding" had nothing to do with theaters dropping the movie. What made them drop the movie was a terrorist threat that spoked a bunch of bean counters.
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
Anytime you are afraid, the terrorists win.
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It's what the US has been living off since 9/11. They so completely surrendered to fear, it is utterly ridiculous.
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I don't disagree but turning a blind eye is also being careless.
In this particular case they should have gone forward. It would have been curious to see how many people didn't go see the movie out of fear for the worst.
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)
The politicians too. ("Vote for me because my opponent will cave to the terrorists and DESTROY AMERICA!!!")
Also some manufacturers. ("Senator X, deploy our Ultra-Cool-Sounding-But-Ultimately-Ineffective at all TSA check points. It'll give billions to us, the illusion of security to America, and a cushy job for you once you retire from the Senate.")
And the power hungry segments of law enforcement organizations. ("We need to be able to raid homes without warrants because TERRORISM!!!")
The public are the big losers when we get afraid thanks to terrorist threats (real or imagined in order to scare us into submission).
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
"Coding" had nothing to do with theaters dropping the movie. What made them drop the movie was a terrorist threat that spoked a bunch of bean counters.
And it wouldn't surprise me to learn that the bean counters had also been the ones that nixed proper security procedures within Sony.
Because IT Doesn't Matter. What matters is getting the Low Price Always.
Is a lame Seth Rogen flick worth dying for? (Score:3, Insightful)
I am not saying I have an answer for that.
This is not a First Amendment question because in this case a corporation that regards themselves in the business of entertaining people has decided that they don't want to risk releasing this movie right now. Yes, they are caving to a threat, but the movie is their property under Copyright to do what they choose
Re:Is a lame Seth Rogen flick worth dying for? (Score:5, Interesting)
I hate to quote celebrities, but George Clooney makes a good point: [deadline.com]
"With the First Amendment, you're never protecting Jefferson; it's usually protecting some guy who's burning a flag or doing something stupid."
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I wish the First Amendment was just protecting a guy burning a flag. Most times, it seems like it's protecting the Westboro Baptist Church's right to protest (and make themselves look like idiots). I hate those people (and given that I'm Jewish, support gay marriage, love science, and am fairly liberal, the feeling's probably mutual), but as much as I'd love to see them silenced for good, I know the slippery slope that would start.
Re:Is a lame Seth Rogen flick worth dying for? (Score:4, Insightful)
The first amendment only says "Congress shall make no law..." but everybody understands you don't have much freedom of speech if you end up hanging from the nearest tree afterwards. Because the law isn't supposed to shield me from lawful retaliation like a boycott only retaliation that's already illegal you don't need a specific law for that. But everybody realizes that targeted action against those who exercise a particular freedom is trying to encroach on that freedom. Of course the government can just wash their hands and say we weren't the angry mob holding the rope, but it wouldn't be a very good government.
Any time you refrain from a lawful action because of the risk or threat of illegal action is a failure of the system of law IMHO. If I can't walk through a part of the city at night they're failing to keep the street safe. If they can't show this movie at the cinema without the risk of terrorism they're failing to keep the country safe. At least if it's a genuine risk and not chicken little screaming that the sky is falling, I mean you can't expect them to be everywhere and prevent every crime everyone's trying to commit. And I don't want to sell out all my rights in an attempt to make it so either. There could be a price for not caving but there's a price for caving too, the terrorists don't need to take away your freedoms if your too afraid to use them anyway.
FBI warned theaters of possible cyberattacks (Score:2)
There was a cyberattack threat component, too. FBI warned theaters of possible cyberattacks over 'The Interview' [reuters.com]: The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation released a warning on Tuesday, advising theaters and other businesses associated with Sony Corp's Hollywood studio's film "The Interview" that they could be targeted in cyberattacks. The private document, which was obtained by Reuters, said that "anyone associated with the production, distribution and promotion" of the film "could possibly become the targ
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Coding also had nothing to do with hacking. You can learn code all day long the rest of your life, and never learn one thing about exploiting remote systems.
Spear phishing is often in insert vector, and has nothing to do with code whatsoever.
And at the moment, code may be the superpower that everyone has access to. Meaning its not super, and will soon be not even power.
If a horse could take a shit directly into the intertubes, this summary would be indistinguishable
Re:Huh? (Score:5, Informative)
The threat that stopped the movie from being released was the claim of blowing up theaters. Why would the theater chains who backed out care about Sony's data being leaked?
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Without coding, the movies and data wouldn't have been copied.
And without coding, man would never have walked on the moon. Therefore, Neil Armstrong was a computer programmer.
You know, one of the reasons hackers get bothered when people who break into computers get called "hackers" is because it implies the crackers can code. It's why the phrase "script kiddie" was invented. Breaking into a computer doesn't require coding, and doesn't imply coding.
The idea of North Korean computer programmers reminds me of Elbonia.
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Please enlighten me about where you get your malware from, because it's gotta be good if it just magically came into existence, no coding required.
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
Since this is Slashdot, let me explain it with cars.
The people who write malware from scratch are programmers. It's the same as engineers creating and designing new cars.
The people who create malware variations with a pre-made tool are not programmers. It's the same as mechanics, people who do engine tuning.
The people who use malware are script kiddies. It's the same as people driving at reckless speeds in your neighbourhood streets.
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The people who use malware are script kiddies.
i thought the people that use malware were called our relatives, whom then call us to fix their computers...
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The idea of North Korean computer programmers reminds me of Elbonia.
North Korea has built compact nuclear warheads, put satellites in orbit, and (because of sanctions) independently developed a number of technologies. They would not have been able to do those things if they couldn't program.
Instead of just slurping up the propaganda that your government is spoon feeding you, learn to think for yourself. Go to Google Maps, zoom in on North Korea, and then click on "Earth". You will see paved roads with cars on them, farms with tractors, houses not much smaller than in the
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"During the time when the former USSR could afford to pump money into it, North Korea was doing pretty well".
The USSR didn't end in 1970. Besides, NK was not "doing well" then compared to now. There economy has continued to grow, and they are doing better economically than many other Asian countries, and better than most African countries. It is only compared to the spectacular growth of South Korea, that NK looks shabby.
The USSR never considered NK to be a reliable ally, and after 1953, gave them very little aid. Kim Il Sung (grandfather of the current ruler) had served as an officer in the Soviet Red Army, a
Re: Huh? (Score:2)
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And yet, you post anonymously.
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Re:State sponsored hack= state terrorism/act of wa (Score:4, Insightful)
Just because some vague articles and politicos point the finger at North Korea doesn't mean that it's true. I'm not making any assertions about the truth at this point, but we should be careful before jumping to (potentially violent) conclusions based on hearsay.
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/e... [wired.com]
"But in their initial public statement, whoever hacked Sony made no mention of North Korea or the film. And in an email sent to Sony by the hackers, found in documents they leaked, there is also no mention of North Korea or the film. The email was sent to Sony executives on Nov. 21, a few days before the hack went public. Addressed to Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton, Chairwoman Amy Pascal and other executives, it appears to be an attempt at extortion, not an expression of political outrage or a threat of war."
hyperbole much? (Score:2)
yathink?
Re:hyperbole much? (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly. Sony was going to press forward with the release regardless of the intrusion. What shutdown the movie was the pastebin threat that caused a bunch of theater chains to shit themselves.
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What the fuck (Score:5, Insightful)
What the fuck does emailing a vague and rambling threat of violence have to do with coding and superpowers?
Re:What the fuck (Score:5, Insightful)
Nothing. This is just unadulterated clickbait.
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Nothing. This is just unadulterated clickbait.
Welcome to modern media, or as "the media moves more towards gawker, vox, etal." Quality reporting at it's very finest.
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Apparently convincing movie theaters not to show a bad movie that they probably didn't want to have to show anyway with a vague threat of violence after cracking Sony's network (yeah, like that hasn't been done before) makes you a superpower.
The theater chains were probably looking for any excuse not to show that thing but not get left out of the next Sony release they actually do want to screen. This way, Sony eats the shit sandwich rather than the theaters. Also known as "the way it should be if you mak
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What the fuck does emailing a vague and rambling threat of violence have to do with coding and superpowers?
Vague and rambling threats is the closest these idiots will ever come to coding and superpowers :-)
Does that mean Batman has superpowers after all? (Score:2)
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Dude, he was able to beat up Superman because he had brains. Superman was like the lifter on the beach, always showing off.
That and Batman had that Kyptonight ring....
LOL
Nope it was all hacking. It clearly ranks up there with super strength and speed.
Superpower (Score:5, Insightful)
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How dare you! Posting to pastebin is coding!!!
So...use your computer skills for...censorship? (Score:2)
So this is a call for what - people to use their computer skills to censor viewpoints they don't agree with?
It wasn't the hacking that shut the movie down (Score:5, Interesting)
...it was the legal liability incurred by Sony after the "hackers" threatened actual physical attacks on movie theaters. Sony simply couldn't afford the legal and financial risk that even one theater might be bombed or attacked. The hacking part of it had no bearing on that.
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Some movie theaters backed down not Sony.
Sony of course then cancelled the release - they're pretty dumb but even they can work out that releasing your movie with a bunch of the large chains not showing it is a sure fire way to bomb at the box office. The reason for those chains not showing the movie is irrelevant to that decision.
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I don't believe that Sony would have considered it a credible threat if they had not just experienced an enormous server hack.
So, let me get this straight: (Score:4, Interesting)
By this thinking, wouldn't threatening to plant a bomb would be a superpower?
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And posting to pastebin is now "coding" apparently.
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Only if the threat is on Pastebin.
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Define "Good" (Score:4, Insightful)
Telling people to use coding for "good" is a very subjective matter. Exposing corruption is a "good" thing, and when law enforcement and Government agencies ignore corruption or become complicit in the corruption, dumping this information to the public is one of few viable options.
Reading the summary (nope, I refused to follow these links) indicates that "good" from their perspective is maintaining the status quo and allowing the corruption to continue unchecked.
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Roger Moore, Roger Moore, ....
Riding through the land,
Publicity stunt (Score:5, Interesting)
It looked like a middling movie, but now it's the most talked about picture of the year. I bet they'll clean up on DVD sales.
And superpowers? You act like breaking into somebody's computers, copying their private shit, then making bomb threats is something inspiring? No. It's not. It's criminal.
I am a little conflicted. I still can't say "good job" to people who break into somebody else's computers. Despite Sony trying to break into millions of computers. Sony is one of the most evil corporations on the planet. So it's kind of like get incensed that Sauron's ring got stolen and melted. I mean, it was his ring.
I'll channel Gene Wilder from Willy Wonka, in the scene where Violet Beauregarde is going to eat the gum that turns her into a blueberry and he mutters quietly to no one in particular, "No. Stop. Don't."
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It looked like a middling movie, but now it's the most talked about picture of the year. I bet they'll clean up on DVD sales.
Except that Sony has claimed they will not distribute it in any form.
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my prediction: in two weeks they'll announce that they've changed their mind, supposedly under pressure from the people advocating for freedom of artistic expression, but really because it's a publicity stunt to drive up sales. There may even be a theatrical release. If they had released it in December they would have had a flop on their hands, because it's a bad movie (one reviewer said it was "about as funny as a communist food shortage, and just as protracted") and it would be competing with the other Ch
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That's how the publicity stunt works. People all over the internet are screaming about how awful and terrible this is. Fucking John McCain has commented on how Sony shouldn't cow and respond to these threats. Right? US senators are urging Sony to release their movie.
Give it a week, and after some soul* searching, chats with their spiritual advisor, support from their friends and family, and a big-girl cry, Sony will release their movie to thunderous applause and ticket sales.
* lololololololol implying anyon
Buggy-whip maker (Score:2)
We're in a temporary bubble as society adjusts to technology. This, too, will end.
national security of communications.... err (Score:3)
This story makes no sense (Score:2)
The
I have a SUPERPOWER! (Score:2)
I can throw a rock through someone's window, climb into their house, get a bunch of their personal info, and publicize it. SUPERPOWER!
I can put a tap on their phone line at the demarc box, record everything from their landline until they notice the intrusion, and publish it all. SUPERPOWER!
I can dig through their garbage for carelessly-discarded confidential papers. Heck, I can just count their beer and wine bottles, and publicize that. SUPERPOWER!
Maybe not the lamest claim ever, but it'll do for today.
multi-national corporations are mini-countries? (Score:2)
There have been movies about this, such as Blad Runner and Roller Ball where the world is ruled by corporations and nations are shadows.
Being an asshole and not caring that you are one. (Score:2)
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How much coding was involved? (Score:2)
How much coding was involved? I'm not aware of the mechanics of the break-in. It could have been pure social engineering. It could have been a mole. That doesn't involve any coding. It could have been spotting a vulnerability. People who do that usually do some coding, but such attacks involve a lot of analysis of existing code as opposed to creating new code. The actual attack may require code; but it's usually not a lot. So. "Coding" as the "super-power" behind the attack? Meh.
Tron called programming a superpower in 1982 (Score:2)
There was a scene where Bridges was coding something and said "I feel a little like Santa Claus."
That's a superpower.
Yes and the US has lost its first cyberwar (Score:2)
The US has lost its first cyberwar to North Korea, I read in the newspaper today. I think it's utter bullshit. This is not a cyberwar between two countries. Nothing of relevance has been lost. So one major companie got hacked and they lost all their data and have to pull back a movie - how important is that? I think it is quite big, but nothing compared to war between countries. If NK could shutdown the powergrid, take over some drones and use them to attack the US Navy with just online hacking, that would
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Yeah. I don't think they meant to say that because it's not the coding, it's the information that brings power.
No, basement dwellers (Score:2)
Hacking, and the reaction to it from our Democrat elites, proves that North Korea is a superpower.
Wow (Score:3)
This is the stupidest conclusion I've seen in 2014 and I've had the US government and the WHOLE INTERNET aggressively providing strong candidates all year.
With great [coding] powers (Score:2)
With great [coding] powers comes great responsibility, to earn a huge profit for your labor.
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Other than straight to video there is no where to release it to. Most of the theater chains in the US backed away from it.
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Re:Screw them (Score:4, Funny)
Have pigs sprouted wings and started flying in your universe?
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Are you new to planet earth and the way the movie companies work?
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They won't because they aren't releasing it now, but likely will wait for the threats to die down before quietly releasing it in theaters. Then, they'll release it on DVD/Blu-Ray hoping everyone will want to buy the movie that North Korea threatened death if we watched. From the reports, the movie was horrible and so probably wouldn't have brought in much anyway, but releasing on BitTorrent for free means they make nothing. Holding for possible future means possible future income. Movie companies will a
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Push the movie to the digital streaming platforms. Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Hulu, and others could monetize the hell out of the movie. While that won't gain the money of a theatrical release, at least they will get some of the costs back.
Being that Sony is Japanese and has had a few issues with North Korea in the past, I can understand their country being a bit apprehensive about the release though.
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And that isn't really an option either. Sony lost lots of HR and other PII data. If you work at Sony pictures there is a good chance the "GOP" knows where you live.
If Sony releases it at all and there any attack on its own employees they might also open themselves up to lawsuits for negligence. To say nothing of the fact that they might loose their best talent due to people being afraid working their makes them a target.
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Yea Sony might as well pack up and go home until this thing is resolved. There isn't a lot they can do.
The U.S. on the other hand should recognize this for what it is. An act of war. Once the possibility of real physical violence and attacks were introduced it was no longer an attack on Sony Pictures but on society as a whole.
Its time for Government to step up and actually do one of the very few things its actually charged with doing, provide for the common defense! We now have a situation where a forei
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Chances are the theater threats were
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Does North Korea even have anything worthy of hacking?
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"The Chinese need to be TOLD to just sit tight"
Except who's to say the Chinese weren't originally behind this. "Guardians of Peace" was a term Nixon said to China on why we were helping South Korea.
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Like how Iran hacked and downed a military drone [wikipedia.org] in their territory?
Sure, if you buy it. Just think about what it would take to actually do what they claimed - perform a controlled landing of an enemy drone controlled by encrypted satellite connection. I could buy jamming or maybe even gps spoofing (though military gps units can authenticate gps signals). I could buy some kind of EMP attack that disabled it. A controlled landing implies fairly complete access over the drone.
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Hacking something on the Internet is one thing. Compromising SIPRNet or NIPRNet... completely different.
I wonder when businesses will stop trying to put band-aids on this problem and actually build a WAN between themselves that isn't the Internet, nor is connected to the Internet directly. It wasn't that long ago when the Internet wasn't the only WAN (DECNet anyone.) Maybe it is time for businesses to start getting leased lines, laying fiber, and creating networks that are well separated. For smaller bu
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congratulations you have just invented privateIP MPLS service.
Someone should tell ALL the major TELCOs about this, and anyone who has ever want to build a WAN link between more than two sides in the last 15 years, needing anything better than best effort service.
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I wonder when businesses will stop trying to put band-aids on this problem and actually build a WAN between themselves that isn't the Internet, nor is connected to the Internet directly.
It won't happen unless they hire people who have a lot of clue and know how to make such things work. Which is apparently the exact opposite of what they have been doing.
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Sony was going to release it up until all the major theater chains said they wouldn't show it. It's sort of hard to release a movie into theaters when none of them will show it.
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No one was going to blow up any theater. Stop being a fucking sissy.
Up until 9/11, the biggest terrorist attack was by an American, Timothy McVeigh. There are too many nutters out there who think their personal grievances justify killing "faceless people" to "make a statement".
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Even if Sony released it to 100,000 screens I still wouldn't watch it, because it's likely to just be a bad movie that I don't want to pay $12 to see.
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That's how the Web used to work. Now half the content is ads, another half is links to sponsored products, another half is nudity and pornography and the last half is written by people who can't do math.
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Leadership starts at the top, especially with the man whose sworn oath is to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States". If protecting the freedom of speech doesn't fall in the list of things that office holder should be doing, I don't know what is appropriate. His inaction and lack of leadership on this issue is appalling.
Has congress made a law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances while we weren't looking? Or is it possible that you really should read your country's constitution before you try citing it?
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Hacking != Carcking,
I think I'm going to need a car analogy in order to understand this. Or maybe something about Elvis.
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It's a funny way to think because you could apply that same logic to any other crime. Murder, rape and theft should all be legal too since it's for people to protect themselves... What's wrong with everybody right?
Hacking isn't illegal as long as you don't infiltrate systems you aren't authorized to. There are firms that specialize in system break & entry and they use hackers to do it. They do this to help secure systems.
In addition, if you read how they were hacked you would understand that it was most