Cyber Incident Victim: Red Granite Pictures
Date:
Jul 2015
Location:
United States of America
Summary
Red Granite Pictures experienced a malicious cyber campaign involving unauthorized access to its computer systems, leading to the theft of confidential business information and internal communications. Employees received mass emails containing defamatory content and offensive subject lines, while an external advisor faced threatening late-night spoofed calls and surveillance. The sustained harassment disrupted operations, forcing the company to engage cybersecurity consultants and divert significant resources to mitigate ongoing attacks. Legal action cited violations including computer fraud, privacy invasion, stalking, and interference with business relationships.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 3 motives | 3 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
Red Granite Pictures, a film financing company behind productions including *The Wolf of Wall Street* and *Dumb and Dumber To*, experienced a sustained harassment campaign beginning on July 10, 2015, when employees started receiving mass emails containing defamatory blog posts or reports alleging improper activities linked to the company. These emails frequently featured sensational or offensive subject lines and targeted internal staff. The company alleged in a July 29, 2015, lawsuit that unidentified attackers had unlawfully accessed its computer systems without permission, extracting nonpublic information such as business operations data, employee lists, and internal communications. The intrusion coincided with escalating harassment tactics beyond emails, including threats against an external advisor described as a senior executive. This advisor received repeated late-night phone calls from spoofed locations, with one caller falsely identifying as a former co-worker to warn the advisor against associating with a Red Granite executive. The lawsuit further claimed the advisor was subjected to surveillance, though specifics regarding the methods or duration were not disclosed.
The harassment campaign disrupted Red Granite’s business operations, compelling the company to retain information security consultants and allocate additional resources to block daily attacks. Legal filings indicated the company faced ongoing efforts to mitigate the intrusions, characterizing the situation as a "cat-and-mouse game." Red Granite’s lawsuit, filed in California federal court against anonymous defendants, asserted violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, tortious interference with business relations, invasion of privacy, and stalking. The complaint did not explicitly link the incident to prior controversies surrounding the company, such as past allegations about the origins of its funding tied to Malaysian political figures or a settled racketeering claim by *Dumb and Dumber* producers. However, it noted that defamatory emails referenced historical criticisms of Red Granite’s financial backing. No technical details regarding the initial breach vector, data exfiltration methods, or surveillance techniques were disclosed in the available complaint summary.