Hackers claim another Sony attack

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WASHINGTON: Hackers claimed on Monday to have staged another attack on Japanese electronics giant Sony, publishing online a file containing source code for the Sony Computer Entertainment Developer Network.

The claim was made by a group of hackers known as Lulz Security, who said last week they had compromised more than one million passwords, email addresses and other information from SonyPictures.com.

"Presenting Sony Computer Entertainment Developer Network source code," Lulz Security said in a message on its Twitter feed @LulzSec which provided a link to a 54-megabyte file.

The group also posted a link to what it said were internal network maps of music arm Sony BMG.

"That's hackers 16, Sony 0. Your move!" the group said in a reference to what it said was the number of cyberattacks on Sony's online networks in recent weeks.

Sony Pictures Entertainment apologized over the weekend for the personal data breach at SonyPictures.com, which features movie trailers and email updates on upcoming releases.

Sony's PlayStation Network, its Qriocity music streaming service and Sony Online Entertainment are among other services targeted by hackers recently.

The company has also suffered attacks on websites in Greece, Thailand and Indonesia and on the Canadian site of mobile phone company Sony Ericsson.

According to Sony, more than 100 million accounts have been affected, making it one of the largest data breaches ever.

In addition to the Sony attacks, Lulz Security has claimed to have stolen email addresses and passwords from associates of an FBI-affiliated security program called InfraGard.

Lulz Security said it attacked the website of the Atlanta chapter of InfraGard in retaliation for US efforts to classify hacking as an act of war.

Lulz Security published a list online of around 180 email addresses and passwords which the group said were obtained from the InfraGard website.

On its website, InfraGard describes itself as a partnership between the FBI and the private sector "dedicated to sharing information and intelligence to prevent hostile acts against the United States."

Its members include businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and others.

In late May, Lulz Security targeted the website of the US non-profit Public Broadcasting Service in retaliation for a film it made about WikiLeaks called "Frontline: Wiki Secrets."

The hackers marred PBS Web pages with graffiti, exposed account information of member stations, and posted a fake story about the late rap musician Tupac Shakur being alive in New Zealand. (AFP)