Another Hacker Group Warns Sony: Release 'Interview' or Else

Competing pressures are being brought to bear on Sony Pictures over the decision not to release "The Interview," its satirical film about North Korea.

President Barack Obama said the pariah state was culpable for the "cyber-vandalism" that led Sony to hold off distributing the film.

Pyongyang, which does not shy away from threats, has denied responsibility for the hacking, The Washington Post reported.

A North Korean statement said its army was nonetheless ready to confront the U.S. in cyberwarfare, The Times in London reported.

Now someone claiming to speak for Anonymous is threatening Sony if it doesn't release the movie. The shadowy group has been described as a "shape-shifting" collective of extremist hackers who purportedly oppose any Internet censorship.

An Anonymous posting warned Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment, that: "Release The Interview as planned, or we shall carry out as many hacks as we are capable of to both Sony Entertainment, and yourself," Showbiz 411 reported.

The individual who made the posting also asserted that North Korea was not responsible for the hacking and criticized the company for "panicking at first sight of trouble."

The post said that Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho had offered Sony $100,000 for the film with the intention of uploading it to BitTorrent.

Lynton implied over the weekend that the company might still release the film in some format. "We have not given in," he said. "And we have not backed down. We have always had every desire to have the American public see this movie," according to the Times.

The original hackers, who refer to themselves as "Guardians of Peace," warned the company not to change its mind about releasing the movie, and described the decision to capitulate to their demands as "very wise."

The hackers want to be certain that the film is never disseminated in any form and does not somehow find its way onto the Internet, CNN reported.

The Guardians told Sony: "We still have your private and sensitive data" and promised to keep it secure "unless you make additional trouble," CNN reported.

Related Stories:

• Obama Does Not Consider Sony Hack an Act of War
• Computer Security Expert: Sony Hack Attack May Be Inside Job