Sony Pictures is worried that North Korea hacked its computers
If you've been intrigued by the hack that took down Sony Pictures' computers, you've probably wondered who the self-proclaimed culprits, the "Guardians of Peace," might be. Are they disgruntled employees? Social activists? According to Recode sources, Sony is worried that they're actually North Korean cyberwarriors. The company and its security consultants are "actively exploring" theories that an outfit in China breached the network on North Korea's behalf. Investigators haven't confirmed anything, but they also haven't ruled out the Korean link so far.
Why make the connection? Supposedly, the digital assault may be tied to the Christmas Day release of The Interview, a comedy about an attempt to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. The country vowed "merciless retaliation" over the movie, and a cyberattack on the responsible studio would certainly qualify. With that said, the story doesn't completely line up. The Guardians of Peace have been calling for "equality," and there's not much besides the name that would suggest they're state-sponsored. Sony certainly isn't pointing fingers in public -- it's only repeating a previous statement that there was a "service disruption" in the week. As it stands, it's likely that the company is more concerned about getting its systems back in action than figuring out who to blame.
