<p>Sony chief Kazuo Hirai today spoke for the first time publicly about the cyber attack that derailed launch of controversial comedy "The Interview," calling the assault "vicious and malicious".<br /><br /></p>.<p>Hirai thanked supporters who stood by the company in the face of the devastating cyber assault, including employees and movie-goers who saw the film when it finally hit theaters.<br /><br />"Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of association -- those are important lifelines of Sony and our entertainment business," Hirai said at a press event.<br /><br />His comments on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas marked his first public statements about the attack on the Japanese company's film and television unit.<br /><br />"We are proud of partners who stood up against extortionist efforts by criminals who attacked Sony," Hirai said.<br /><br />Sony employees, he added, "were victims of one of the most vicious and malicious cyber attacks we have known, certainly in recent history."<br /><br />"The Interview" is now showing at 580 independent theaters in the US, in addition to online platforms, according to Hirai.<br /><br />"I want to thank all the partners who made this possible, media who supported the launch, and those who have gone out to see the movie," Hirai said.<br /><br />"Thank you for being part of that great event," he added, before ending with a quip referring to another Sony Pictures Entertainment film released during the year-end holidays. "Annie is a great movie as well."<br /><br />The late November cyber attack against Sony led to an online leak of employee information, unreleased films and embarrassing in-house emails.<br /><br />The hackers also mounted threats against Sony over the planned Christmas release of "The Interview," which depicts a fictional CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.<br /><br />US investigators have said the North, which has repeatedly denied involvement, was behind the attack, but some experts have raised doubts about the conclusions of the FBI probe.<br /><br />US President Barack Obama last week authorized a new layer of sanctions on several Pyongyang institutions and officials, in retaliation for the alleged cyber attack on Sony Pictures.<br /><br />North Korea Sunday lashed out at the fresh sanctions, criticizing Washington for refusing a proposed joint investigation.<br /><br />The impoverished but nuclear-armed state was already heavily sanctioned following a series of nuclear and missile tests staged in violation of UN resolutions.</p>
<p>Sony chief Kazuo Hirai today spoke for the first time publicly about the cyber attack that derailed launch of controversial comedy "The Interview," calling the assault "vicious and malicious".<br /><br /></p>.<p>Hirai thanked supporters who stood by the company in the face of the devastating cyber assault, including employees and movie-goers who saw the film when it finally hit theaters.<br /><br />"Freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of association -- those are important lifelines of Sony and our entertainment business," Hirai said at a press event.<br /><br />His comments on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas marked his first public statements about the attack on the Japanese company's film and television unit.<br /><br />"We are proud of partners who stood up against extortionist efforts by criminals who attacked Sony," Hirai said.<br /><br />Sony employees, he added, "were victims of one of the most vicious and malicious cyber attacks we have known, certainly in recent history."<br /><br />"The Interview" is now showing at 580 independent theaters in the US, in addition to online platforms, according to Hirai.<br /><br />"I want to thank all the partners who made this possible, media who supported the launch, and those who have gone out to see the movie," Hirai said.<br /><br />"Thank you for being part of that great event," he added, before ending with a quip referring to another Sony Pictures Entertainment film released during the year-end holidays. "Annie is a great movie as well."<br /><br />The late November cyber attack against Sony led to an online leak of employee information, unreleased films and embarrassing in-house emails.<br /><br />The hackers also mounted threats against Sony over the planned Christmas release of "The Interview," which depicts a fictional CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.<br /><br />US investigators have said the North, which has repeatedly denied involvement, was behind the attack, but some experts have raised doubts about the conclusions of the FBI probe.<br /><br />US President Barack Obama last week authorized a new layer of sanctions on several Pyongyang institutions and officials, in retaliation for the alleged cyber attack on Sony Pictures.<br /><br />North Korea Sunday lashed out at the fresh sanctions, criticizing Washington for refusing a proposed joint investigation.<br /><br />The impoverished but nuclear-armed state was already heavily sanctioned following a series of nuclear and missile tests staged in violation of UN resolutions.</p>