The U.S. government is treating the cyber attack on Sony Pictures, which compelled the latter to cancel the release of the comedy film The Interview, as a serious national security matter.
The Interview is based on North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, which culminates in the revered leader's assassination. Sony Pictures withdrew it from theaters after warnings and threats from hackers.
In November, sensitive data, such as social security numbers and salary details of Sony employees and a number of celebrities, which were stored on the company's computer systems, were disclosed by the hackers who call themselves Guardians of Peace, believed to be "sophisticated actors," according to the White House.
"There is evidence to indicate that we have seen destructive activity with malicious intent that was initiated by a sophisticated actor," said Josh Earnest, White House press secretary.
It is suspected that agents operating on behalf of North Korea may be responsible for the attack on Sony Pictures. Reports suggest that the U.S. government may publicly condemn and blame North Korea for the hacking on Dec. 19. Whether a retaliation by the U.S. government is in the works is not clear at this juncture.
On Friday, FBI pinned North Korea as responsible for the cyberattack.
"As a result of our investigation, and in close collaboration with other U.S. Government departments and agencies, the FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions," the FBI stated. "Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korean actors previously developed."
The FBI also found patterns that link the alleged perpetrators of the Sony hack to attacks that shut down the banking system of South Korea March last year. It expressed deep concern on the destructive nature of the most recent attack.
The hackers have issued a warning to the public, cautioning them against watching The Interview. The attackers referred to the 9/11 event that shook the world, saying that "the world will be full of fear" in the event the movie was screened.
President Barack Obama, meanwhile, called the cancelation of The Interview a mistake.
" I am sympathetic to the concerns that they face. Having said all that, yes, I think they made a mistake. Let's not get into that way of doing business," Obama said during a press conference.
The president declared that the U.S. will respond "proportionally" to the cyberattack. However, specifics about such retaliation have not been disclosed. Opinions about the possible options are coming from all directions ranging from declaring the cyberattack as cyberterrorism, pressing new sanctions against North Korea, to engaging in a cyberwar with the communist regime. A ton of things need to be weighed and for now, North Korea has achieved what it wants -- gain the attention of the global community.
