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U.S. believes North Korea is responsible for Sony hack after all

Published Dec 18th, 2014 6:50AM EST
Sony Hack: North Korea

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Sony Pictures was in late November the target of a massive cyber attack, which not only exposed a significant amount of internal data, but also forced the company to pull the controversial The Interview comedy from theaters, after receiving further threats from the hackers responsible. Even though North Korea, which was initially believed to be behind the hack because of its resent for this particular movie, denied involvement more than once, The Associated Press reports that investigators have apparently found evidence that the communist nation is to blame.

FROM EARLIER: North Korea wins: Sony just cancelled The Interview

An unidentified U.S. official familiar with the attack on Sony said that North Korea backed up the hack, without revealing more details about the security team’s findings.

It’s not clear at this time how North Korea was linked to the attack, and whether the U.S. will officially respond in any matter. An official announcement, further explaining the Sony hack, is yet to be made.

Meanwhile, Sony stands by its decision to pull The Interview from theaters, and the movie might not see a later release, as Sony said it has “no further release plans for the film.”

“We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public,” Sony said. “We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”

“We take very seriously any attempt to threaten or limit artists’ freedom of speech or of expression,” White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said, adding that the U.S. government had no involvement in Sony’s decision to pull the movie.

The White House and the State Department are yet to comment on the reported link between North Korea and the Sony hack.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.