White House calls cyber-attack on Sony 'serious national security matter'
By KH디지털2Published : Dec. 19, 2014 - 09:32
The White House said Thursday it is taking the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures as a "serious national security matter" amid deepening suspicions North Korea was behind the hack that scared the moviemaker into canceling the planned release of a comedy film.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest also said the FBI and the National Security Division of the Department of Justice are making progress in their investigation into the case. But he stopped short of pinpointing the communist nation as the culprit.
"This is something that's being treated as a serious national security matter. There is evidence to indicate that we have seen destructive activity with malicious intent that was initiated by a sophisticated actor," Earnest said at a press briefing.
The spokesman also said the case has been a key subject of a number of White House meetings that have been led by the presidential homeland security adviser and also included intelligence, homeland security, military, diplomatic and law enforcement officials.
North Korea has been suspected of involvement in last month's cyber-attack on Sony from the beginning because the communist nation has expressed strong anger at the controversial movie about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The film, "The Interview," tells the story of two American journalists who land an interview with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang but are then recruited by the CIA to kill him. Pyongyang has condemned the movie as the "most undisguised" sponsoring of terrorism.
On Wednesday, Sony ultimately decided to call off the film's release, which had been set for Christmas Day, after hackers threatened attacks on theaters showing the movie, and some large theater chains decided to pull the film from their screens.
North Korea has denied involvement, though it lauded the cyber-attack as a "righteous deed."
The FBI has been looking into the case, and U.S. media outlets have widely reported that authorities have determined that the North played a role in the attack. Reports have also said that the government could make an official announcement as early as Thursday.
Earnest said there should be a proportional response to the cyber-attack, but declined to discuss specifics.
"Before we start publicly speculating about a response, it's appropriate that we allow the investigation to move forward. I do understand that the investigation is progressing. And that as the members of the national security team meet to discuss this matter, they are considering a range of options," he said.
The spokesman also declined to talk about how President Barack Obama reacted to Sony's decision to call off the movie's release.
But he added that Obama and his administration "stand squarely on the side of artists and other private citizens who seek to freely express their views."
Earlier, the House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman said that North Korea was behind the Sony attack.
"What I have heard from U.S. officials is that this was done by a foreign government -- at the behest of a foreign government,"
Rep. Ed Royce said on CNN. "We're awaiting the formal announcement by the U.S. government but it's very clear that North Korea did this."
Former U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney has called for Sony to fight off threats and release the film online for free, saying in a Twitter message, "don't cave, fight: release @TheInterview free online globally. Ask viewers for voluntary $5 contribution to fight #Ebola."
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also said Sony's decision represents American's first loss in its cyberwar.
"No one should kid themselves. With the Sony collapse America has lost its first cyberwar. This is a very very dangerous precedent," he said in a Twitter message.
Obama said the U.S. is taking cyber-attacks seriously.
"The cyberattack is very serious," he said in an interview with ABC television Wednesday. "We're investigating and we're taking it seriously. We'll be vigilant. If we see something that we think is serious and credible then we'll alert the public. But for now, my recommendation would be that people go to the movies." (Yonhap)