Investigators looking into the massive cyberattack that crippled Sony Pictures' entire computer network last week have linked the intrusion to North Korea.
Bloomberg cites a person familiar with the discussions who claims that Sony executives are currently debating whether or not to make a public announcement about the probe's findings. No details have been shared about the motives for the attack, but speculation abounds that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un may have been incensed over a soon-to-be-released Sony Pictures comedy titled 'The Interview,' which features actors Seth Rogen and James Franco as two American journalists hired by the CIA to assassinate Kim.
In a letter addressed to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the Pyongyang government described the film as an "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism" and "act of war" and has repeatedly promised "mercilessly destroy" anyone associated with the comedy.
Analysis of the malicious software used to infiltrate Sony's system show it is very similar to a malware used in a series of high-profile attacks against South Korean banks, including one in March 2013 that entirely wiped out huge chunks of bank records and television broadcasters' data. AlienVault labs director of security Jaime Blasco says the South Korean cyberattacks were largely attributed to a hacker group called Dark Seoul, which is said to be funded by the North Korean regime.
A North Korean spokesperson, speaking in an interview with BBC, does not confirm or deny the allegations.
"The hostile forces are relating everything to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)," he said. "I kindly advise you to just wait and see."
However, a North Korean diplomat based in New York denies that the Kim Jong Un led country has nothing to do with the hacking.
"Linking the DPRK to the Sony hacking is another fabrication targeting the country. My country publicly declared that it would follow international norms banning hacking and piracy," the North Korean official told Voice of America.
On a related note, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a five-page "flash" report to several U.S. companies warning them of a "destructive malware" that interrupts operations and permanently deletes data. The confidential report, which was released in the wake of the Sony attack and obtained by Reuters, says the malware's code was written in Korean, further fueling the belief that the North Korean government sponsored the devastating Sony attack. However, one source tells Fox News that Korean could have been used to confuse investigators.
The FBI report does not explicitly mention the Sony hack but Reuters cites an anonymous source, who was able to view the file, that the attack described in the report resembled what happened to Sony Pictures last week. It is unclear how long hackers have been lurking in the systems of the film production company, but the attack was made public when the hackers posted a neon red skull on the computer screens of Sony workers with the message "Hacked by #GOP," which purportedly means Guardians of Peace.
Sony has shut down its entire network following the message, leaving workers to resort to old-fashioned pen, paper and fax machines to do their work, but the hackers seem less intent on causing inconvenience than on spreading chaos for Sony Pictures. Following the attack, massive loads of data stored in Sony's servers were leaked on the Internet through file-sharing websites. The leaked data cover everything from five Sony Pictures films, four of which are officially unreleased, to spreadsheets containing the salaries, Social Security numbers, home addresses and other private data of Sony's 6,000 employees, including its top executives.
Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton and co-chairman Amy Pascal confirm that the information leaked online came from the attackers. In a memo sent to employees obtained by Hollywood Reporter, the Sony chiefs recommend their employees to sign up with third-party identity protection provider AllClear ID.
"It is now apparent that a large amount of confidential Sony Pictures Entertainment data has been stolen by the cyberattackers, including personnel information and business documents," the memo says. "This is the result of a brazen attack on our company, our employees and our business partners."
Exactly how the Pyongyang administration was able to gain a foothold into Sony's systems is unclear. Among the likely possibilities include a spear-phishing attack that targeted Sony employees to get them to click on suspicious links or visit websites that downloaded the malware and the fallout that happened during the compromise of Sony's PlayStation systems.
Others believe linking the catastrophic attack to a comedy film is too outrageous to believe. In fact, an anonymous person claiming to be a member of the Guardians of Peace have granted a brief interview with The Verge, saying the attack was made possible with the assistance of Sony insiders who were just as disgruntled with the current state of affairs in the company. Although the person did not specify exactly what the group is asking for, The Verge says they are launching the attacks to protest for "equality."
An email sent to CSO Online supposedly from GOP denies that the attack has anything to do with North Korea or 'The Interview,' but says the film is a reflection of the "greed" of Sony Pictures.
"We are an international organization including famous figures in the politics and society from several nations such as United States, United Kingdom and France. We are not under direction of any state," the email says.
"Our aim is not at the film 'The Interview' as Sony Pictures suggests. But it is widely reported as if our activity is related to 'The Interview.' This shows how dangerous film 'The Interview' is. 'The Interview' is very dangerous enough to cause a massive hack attack. Sony Pictures produced the film harming the regional peace and security and violating human rights for money," it adds. "The news with 'The Interview' fully acquaints us with the crimes of Sony Pictures. Like this, their activity is contrary to our philosophy. We struggle to fight against such greed of Sony Pictures."
