According to two sources that are familiar with the ongoing investigations, North Korea may have contributed to the recent hacking attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The hacking attack used highly destructive malware to cripple the company's systems and destroy and extract data.
Investigations reveal that some pieces of the malware contained code written in Korean language. In addition, certain components of the hacking attack share significant similarities with the attacks carried out against computers of certain broadcasting companies and banks in South Korea in March last year, said Bloomberg's sources which requested to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to reveal the information.
John Hultquist, iSight Partners senior cyber espionage practice lead, admits the credibility in attributing the cyberattacks against Sony Pictures to North Korea. The company has analyzed other cyberattacks that have been connected to hackers from North Korea.
Speculations on North Korea's involvement on the attack are fueled by the country's outrage against The Interview, a film by Sony Pictures that had James Franco and Seth Rogen play roles as TV journalists that have been tasked with the assassination of Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, by the CIA.
North Korea has warned the United States and Sony Pictures over the summer that the release of the movie will be an "act of war" that the country will not tolerate, with the country possible facing "merciless" retaliation from North Korea.
While there is a clear possible motive, some experts in cybersecurity are skeptical about linking the recent attacks to the Asian communist nation.
"State-sponsored attackers don't create cool names for themselves like 'Guardians of Peace' and promote their activity to the public," said Lucas Zaichkowsky, an expert in the field of cybersecurity.
According to Zaichkowsky, the details of the attack look like it was carried out by "hacktivists," which are hackers that breach computer systems to stress political issues that usually involve free information exchange over the Internet.
Digital copies of unreleased movies by Sony Pictures, including Annie, Still Alice, To Write Love on Her Arms, and Mr. Turner have been distributed over the Internet, along with Fury which is still in theaters. However, a direct connection of the movie leaks and the recent cyberattacks have not been formally made.
The FBI has recently issued a confidential flash warning to businesses regarding a malware that can override the master boot record of computer systems, making it nearly impossible to recover the contained data. While the FBI did not state which company the malware was used on, experts are sure that it was the one used by hackers on Sony Pictures.
