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back to article NORK internet outage was payback for Sony hack – US politician

A North Korea network outage last December came in retaliation for the Sony hack, a US lawmaker claims. Michael McCaul of Texas – Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee – linked disruption of North Korea's thin internet pipe to the earlier devastating attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment. “There …

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  1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

    Reasonable and proportionate

    So in response to an alleged hack of a Japanese company that everybody except the General from Dr Strangelove believes was an inside job - the US has attacked N Korea ?

    Interesting - I think the French broke the overnight build, can we invade Calais ?

    10 1 Reply
    1. Shrimpling
      Reply Icon

      Re: Reasonable and proportionate

      You can't invade Calais because Japan didn't attack the Norks...

      The US can invade Calais though.

      2 0 Reply
    2. asdf
      Reply Icon

      Re: Reasonable and proportionate

      Man the US really ruined a few dozen people's day with those antics. Meanwhile there is a good chance %90 of the people in that country's grand kids will never see the real internet.

      1 0 Reply
      1. Steven Raith
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        Re: Reasonable and proportionate

        Most of them aren't living long enough to see their grandkids not get the internet, I'd imagine...

        4 0 Reply
    3. dan1980
      Reply Icon

      Re: Reasonable and proportionate

      Why the hell would you invade Calais? Have you ever been there? Its sole benefit is that it marks the point where one is no longer stuck on a ferry on the water or in a car or train beneath it.

      Unless you're a particular Rodin fan.

      (Yes, I understand the historical strategic importance of the port.)

      0 0 Reply
      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Reasonable and proportionate

        >Why the hell would you invade Calais?

        First step, then Burgundy and on to Aquitaine. Then we raise the French in a combined attack on Paris - the one set of people the French hate more then the British are Parisians

        The big advantage of Brits invading Calais is that nobody would be able to tell until it was too late

        3 0 Reply
  2. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge
    Coffee/keyboard

    "I think the French broke the overnight build, can we invade Calais ?"

    Damn you now I've gone and spat a (unfathomably) popular brown flavourless sugar-free fizzy drink everywhere.

    3 0 Reply
  3. beanbasher
    Mushroom

    In the world of spooks...

    All is not what it seems."A disgruntled insider working in co-operation with hacktivists". The insider could easily have been missled in a false flag operation, the hacktivists could be a NORK front. Could only be this icon.

    2 1 Reply
  4. NoneSuch Silver badge

    Anyone found guilty of hacking Sony

    Should be forced to watch The Interview over and over and over and over.

    The horror. The horror.

    7 0 Reply
  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    > He declined to comment on whether or not the US was behind the action, Bloomberg reports.

    So does he know who did it or not? Sounds to me like he's talking out of his ar*e.

    Let me guess: he's a redneck fundamentalist christian. Whatever next? Earthquakes caused by homosexuality? Aids revenge for sin?

    6 2 Reply
    1. Fungus Bob
      Reply Icon
      Holmes

      Re: Sounds to me like he's talking out of his ar*e.

      Well, he *is* a politician...

      4 0 Reply
    2. BillG
      Reply Icon
      Paris Hilton

      “There were some cyber responses to North Korea,”

      That's all that was said, and @skelband thinks that means the USA shut down NORK's internet?

      This Reg article has more guesses than a Wikipedia page.

      3 0 Reply
    3. Just An Engineer
      Reply Icon

      He is a Republican From Texas, they only know how to talk in that manner.

      1 1 Reply
      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        He is a Republican From Texas, they only know how to talk in that manner.

        I find your bigotry amusing.

        0 0 Reply
  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why then?

    "It later emerged that the NSA had compromised North Korea's internet connection for years, providing intelligence that allowed the FBI to be sure about pointing the finger of blame towards Pyongyang."

    In that case, how come they were unable to preempt the attack on Sony?

    8 1 Reply
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why then?

      because they might not have wanted to reveal that they had compromised the connection?

      2 0 Reply
    2. The Nazz
      Reply Icon

      Re: Why then?

      Or indeed, for people to find out that they, the US themselves attacked Sony?

      If one has compromising control over someone's internet who is to say what they get up to?

      2 2 Reply
  7. LaeMing
    Meh

    So...

    In response to NK being pointed at for a likely unrelated hack of Sony, the NSA claims responsibility for a likely unrelated outage to NK. Sounds about right.

    Lets just call this what it is - James-Bond-themed LARPing on the taxpayer's tab.

    5 1 Reply
  8. wub
    Happy

    Sorry, donuts just won't cut it.

    "The FBI was firm on this attribution despite donuts from the security community..."

    And I thought that it was actually true that law enforcement could always be persuaded with donuts. Well, I guess I'll have to try something stronger next time.

    0 0 Reply
  9. P0l0nium

    Q: So why don' t they shut down the internet feeds to ISIS in Syria and Iraq??

    A: Because they don't want to!

    Q: Why don't they want to ?

    Well lets speculate, shall we ??

    .... Because they're happy with the flow of propaganda and :

    .... They need the public to endorse intervention and :

    .... They realise that the Sunni Oligarchs are a spent force so;

    .... They're making friends with the Iranians and :

    .... They want the Sunnis out of the way :

    Great plan! , where do I sign up for my share ??

    1 1 Reply
    1. Fatman
      Reply Icon

      RE: Well lets speculate, shall we ??

      You forgot one:

      ....The military-industrial complex needs to keep tensions high in the world in order to sell product stock the arsenal of freedom.

      Eisenhower was right....(for those of you who slept through their History classes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military%E2%80%93industrial_complex )

      5 0 Reply
  10. x 7

    why didn't they just cut the cable and do the job semi-permanently? The Norks won't have the cash to repair it

    0 2 Reply
    1. Frank Bough
      Reply Icon

      Re:

      Because their internet connection is the cheapest and easiest way to root NRK yet devised.

      2 0 Reply
    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      IIRC, the cable is in China and the Chinese like having a crazier neighbor to make them look good.

      3 0 Reply
  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm somehow reminded of this dilbert

    http://dilbert.com/strip/2015-02-19

    2 0 Reply

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