WASHINGTON--The Federal Bureau of Investigation said Friday
evidence points to North Korea as the culprit behind a hack of Sony
Pictures that led the studio to pull the movie "The Interview" out
of theaters.
"The FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North
Korean government is responsible for these actions," the agency
said in a statement.
The public finger-pointing escalates the conflict between the
two countries. Officials previously said the North Korean
government had emerged as the prime suspect in the hack, which
exposed embarrassing internal emails between executives. The
hacking culminated in a threat of violence at movie theaters that
screened the movie, which involves a plot to kill North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un.
The Obama administration is considering what steps to take in
response to the hack, but there are few good options, according to
people involved in the discussions, in part because North Korea's
regime is already very isolated from world affairs.
While the Sony hack is viewed as a national security matter
given it involves a computer attack by a foreign nation against a
U.S. company, it doesn't fit the definition of critical
infrastructure attacks U.S. officials have previously contemplated,
such as an attack against a utility company, a stock exchange, or a
part of the transportation grid.
In the lengthy statement, the FBI shared some of the evidence
pointing to North Korea.
An analysis of malware that deleted data on Sony computers shows
similarities to other malware used previously by North Korean
suspects, including lines of code, encryption algorithms, data
deletion methods, and compromised networks, the FBI said.
Investigators also found "significant overlap" between the
infrastructure of the Sony attack and other hacking previously
linked to North Korea, including Internet protocol addresses that
were part of the data deletion malware.
The FBI also found similarities to a cyberattack in March 2013
on South Korean banks and media outlets. The FBI had already
concluded that this attack was carried out by North Korea.
"We are deeply concerned about the destructive nature of this
attack on a private sector entity and the ordinary citizens who
worked there," the statement said.
"The destructive nature of this attack, coupled with its
coercive nature, sets it apart," the FBI said. "North Korea's
actions were intended to inflict significant harm on a U.S.
business and suppress the right of American citizens to express
themselves. Such acts of intimidation fall outside the bounds of
acceptable state behavior. The FBI takes seriously any
attempt--whether through cyber-enabled means, threats of violence,
or otherwise--to undermine the economic and social prosperity of
our citizens."
Write to Devlin Barrett at devlin.barrett@wsj.com
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