Wikileaks Publishes Hacked Sony Emails On Web

Thousands of emails and documents stolen during a cyber-attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment last year have been republished by WikiLeaks.

The searchable tranche includes 170,000 emails and more than 200 documents taken during a hack attack in November which was blamed on North Korea.

The documents were published last year, but this is the first time they have been published in a fully searchable format.

The emails include conversations between executives at the movie studio and Downing Street and Hollywood figures.

Sony has reacted angrily, calling the publication a "malicious criminal act".

A spokesman said: "The attackers used the dissemination of stolen information to try to harm Sony Pictures Entertainment and its employees, and now WikiLeaks regrettably is assisting them in that effort.

"We vehemently disagree with WikiLeaks' assertion that this material belongs in the public domain and will continue to fight for the safety, security, and privacy of our company and its more than 6,000 employees."

But WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange justified the move by saying the company and the leaked documents were "at the centre of a geo-political conflict".

He added: "This archive shows the inner workings of an influential multinational corporation."

The hacking attack was more serious than initially believed, and Sony was forced to shut down its computer systems for several weeks.

A group calling itself Guardians Of Peace claimed responsibility, and the FBI said it had been traced to North Korea.

It is believed the hackers were trying to prevent the release of satirical movie The Interview.