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Sony execs used old BlackBerrys found in a basement after getting hacked

Sony execs used old BlackBerrys found in a basement after getting hacked

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With its computer systems crippled worldwide, Sony executives did what any of us would do: turn to simpler technologies to get them moving again. According to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, that tech included notepads, a manual paycheck machine, and also a stash of BlackBerrys found in Sony's basement. The BlackBerrys were handed out to Sony executives, who used them to start emailing once again thanks to the fact that the BlackBerrys were still set up to use their own server, rather than Sony's hacked one. They were also used to send out updates to the company's staff over text messages, which made their way down through the organization over a phone tree that was thrown together.

Sony executives initially saw the hack as an annoyance that would slow down work and communications for a matter of days or weeks, according to the Times. It now has a much different outlook, expecting it to take an additional five to seven weeks before things return to normal — that's on top of the five weeks this has already been going on for. Restoring its tech systems are only the start of Sony's worries, too. Once it's operational again, it'll still have to be concerned about the rest of the data that the hackers claim to have stolen from it. The hacking group has been quiet since The Interview was released, but it likely has more data that it could attempt to threaten Sony with in the future. Next time, it'll probably think twice before giving in their demands.