_ the diplomat-sony cyber attack

Earlier this month, Sony Pictures was hackedin a major cyber-attack by a group called theGuardians of Peace. The hackers ended upreleasing a massive amount of internal Sonydata — everything from emails to employee’ssocial security numbers. Finally, theythreatened to attack theatergoers should SonyPictures go forth with the planned December25th release of The Interview, a satiricalcomedy whose central plot revolves aroundcharacters played by James Franco and SethRogen attempting to assassinate North Koreanleader Kim Jong-un. The same group ofhackers threatened to actually blow up American movie theaters should Sony release the film,prompting many to assume Pyongyang itself was behind the attacks. While it was initially unclearif North Korea was indeed responsible, U.S. officials have now concluded that the HermitKingdom was “centrally involved” in the sponsorship, planning, and execution of the attack. U.S.officials have also noted similarities between the malware used against Sony and that usedagainst South Korean banks and telecommunications companies last year, further suggesting aNorth Korean link.

Earlier this week, the hackers delivered an additional threat promising that should Sony releasethe movie, an attack on the scale of 9/11 would occur: “Remember the 11th of September 2001,”their threat read. “We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.” Thisthreat prompted several of the United States’ largest movie theater chains to cancel plans to runthe movie.

As I write this, there is well-placed, widespread outrage across the American Internet that Sony’sdecision to cancel the release of this film is an unjustifiable capitulation to cyber-terrorism. Bycomplying with the hackers’ wishes, Sony is effectively demonstrating the instrumental value of acyber-attack toward achieving political objectives — a dangerous precedent that could encourage

Cyber: North Korea’s Ace Up the Sleeve? | The Diplomat http://thediplomat.com/2014/12/cyber-north-koreas-ace-up-the-sleeve/

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copycat attacks by other, more sophisticated entities. To be fair, Sony’s decision wasn’t unilateral— Sony says it was influenced by the refusal of movie theaters and other venues to show the film,given concerns about the safety of their patrons. Here is Sony’s statement:

In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film TheInterview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course,completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.

Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against ouremployees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole ourintellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, andsought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release ofa movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppressthe distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, ouremployees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right tofree expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.

In addition to Sony canceling The Interview, New Regency canceled an upcoming thriller set inNorth Korea that was to star American actor Steve Carrell. While companies are responding tothe North Korean regime’s fear tactics, there is likely no real truth to North Korea’s threats. Afterall, Pyongyang regularly threatens full-out nuclear war and missile strikes; there is little reasonthat these threats ought to be perceived as credible, if they indeed are backed by North Korea.Kim Jong-un seems to be particularly sensitive to how he is perceived on the world stage, asevidenced by North Korea’s extensive diplomatic efforts at preventing a U.N. Security Councildiscussion of its human rights record.

The United States needs to carefully weigh its response to this incident if it is substantiatedwithout a doubt that North Korea was behind this attack. Current reports note that thegovernment is “considering a range of options in weighing a potential response.” The U.S.government should treat this attack as an attack on a core U.S. industry (Hollywood), and reactproportionately. This attack will likely emerge as a case study in how non-kinetic attackssponsored by national states can not only cause economic damage, but can also stifle a nation’score values, such as free speech and the freedom of expression. While the U.S. governmentcannot coerce Sony Pictures to release The Interview, it must recognize that cyber-terrorism canbe immensely destructive.

For the North Korean regime and military leadership, the U.S. response must inspire a smirk ofsatisfaction. Pyongyang has effectively demonstrated that it can cause real economic andpsychological damage in the United States with its cyber-warfare capabilities — an as-yetunderutilized tool in its asymmetric warfare portfolio. Most troublesomely, the attack on SonyPictures demonstrated a good deal of sophistication. This means that we may see North Koreaturning to cyber attacks in the future to protest its treatment by the international community.Where Pyongyang’s threats in the past were largely brushed off as angry fist-pounding, the Sonysaga has shown that the Hermit Kingdom can effect real damage.

This incident could additionally cause a flare-up over cyber issues between the United States andChina. Although relations between Pyongyang and Beijing are not too hot at the moment, North


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Korean cyber-attacks in the past have been traced to mainland China. Additionally, it is likely thatthe know-how required to carry out a sophisticated cyber-attack originated in China. One U.S.intelligence official said that the Sony Pictures attack demonstrated “sophistication that a yearago we would have said was beyond the North’s capabilities.”

North Korea has officially denied any involvement in the attacks, though U.S. officials arepractically convinced of state involvement. According to the New York Times, North Korea leftopen the possibility that the attacks could have been the “righteous deed of supporters andsympathizers” of the regime.

As a closing thought, though it might not be an element of hard-and-fast military strategy, juche,or songun, you’d think the North Korean military higher-ups that okayed the attack would haveheard of the Streisand Effect by now.


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_ the diplomat-sony cyber attack

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