Following the attack by hackers, Sony Pictures is “stuck in 1992.” A source inside Sony tells TechCrunch that the squeal of the fax machine, and the low murmur of co-workers that are now forced to speak face-to-face have replaced the sound of incoming email and text messages. However, iOS and Mac users have fared better.
“We are stuck in 1992 over here,” she said.
She requested anonymity but agreed to talk a bit about her day-to-day experience as a Sony Pictures Employee post-hack. She said things were getting back to normal and were, in some ways, more pleasant.
But the thing that bothers her most is the need to depend on old technology to do new work, now.
“We had barely working email and no voicemail so people talked to each other. Some people had to send faxes. They were dragging old printers out of storage to cut checks,” she said. “It was crazy.”
Since the hack of Sony Pictures’ computers, in late November, the entertainment firm has been in lock-down mode. The hacks hit most all employees of the firm, from the lowliest intern, to high-profile executives, to movie stars.
All employees have been given a free year of identity theft protection, as they worry that personal information such as credit card and banking statements will find their way online.
“My bank account was hacked [on the day of the first attack,]” said TechCrunch’s source, who works at Sony Pictures offices in Los Angeles. “At first we just thought it was total coincidence.”
While many employees are unable to use their computers during the lock-down, some employees are able to still use their iOS devices and Mac computers.
“A couple of people had their computers removed but people using Macs were fine,” TC’s source said. She said most work is done on iPads and iPhones. An emergency email system is in place but it does not allow attachments.
TechCrunch reporter John Biggs ended his report with, “She was quiet a moment. She had to go. After all, she was talking to me on her only office machine, her personal iPhone. And she had work to do.”
