back to article Now Obama seeks China's help to halt alleged Nork HACK ATTACKS

US president Barack Obama has looked to an unlikely source of help to stop further alleged cyber attacks from North Korea: his administration has reportedly asked China to take action against the perpetrators. The FBI claimed on Friday that Norks were behind the massive Sony Pictures' hack, which plunged the struggling film …

  1. GSystems

    Why is this at the end of the article?

    "Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the devastating hack into Sony Pictures' computer systems, but a Nork official did label the attack a "righteous deed"."

    ...

    Come on Reg... with as many times that you alluded to the North Koreans (Norks? Really?), one would think that their "denied responsibility" should be one of the FIRST things that is mentioned.

    ...false flags come in all shapes and sizes, it seems...

    1. Cipher
      Big Brother

      GSystems may be on to something here.

      If, a large if, the North Koreans had the ability to pull off an intrusion of this magnitude and avoid direct implication, would Sony really be their target? Knowing the attack vector would likely be closed, would they waste a one off on this? And the groups nick, GOP, isn't a dig at Republicans?

      I ask myself who would benefit from such an attack? An attack with large headlines, but no real damage to anyone's national security.

      Then I read that the CIA visited Sony weeks before the attack. Are visits like this common? Has McDonalds been advised on how to keep the secret sauce under wraps?

      I seem to recall an outfit ready to blame a video for terrorism before, something about Benghazi...

      All too convenient to me...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Seems at least as likely, if not more likely than your conspiracy scenario, that the reason for the CIA visit was that they had to do with the attacks, which were known but not yet publicly announced at the time of the visit. We all know from experience that the date a corporate attack is announced is well after the date when it is detected, which is well after the date when it first occurs.

        If the US wanted to do a false flag operation to target NK, why Sony? Why not have the attack go against Pentagon or other government computers? They could release some of the files Snowden/Manning already released or already stole but has yet to release to add legitimacy to it, toss in some legit-looking but ultimately fake stuff as needed for foreign policy goals, and put that up on the hacker sites to be found by the press.

        You seem to be suggesting that the CIA visit was to tell Sony "give us all your data, then we're going to put it out on the internet and do massive damage to your company and its reputation" to serve our foreign policy goals. Sony Pictures is supposed to just sit there and take it, without any complaint?

        1. Cipher

          I suggested no such thing, I just find it odd that the CIA would be visiting an entity like Sony, nothing more.

          If the CIA wanted Sony's data, they wouldn't ask or have to...

          I feel there is more than meets the eye here, and North Korea is a convenient target to blame. I guess we'll see what the alphabets ask for, what their allies in Congress call for, and what we are foolish enough to fall for in the coming months...

          Somehow I suspect that "thinking of the children" will be a part of this, as well our security from terrorists.

          I'll stand by my premise that, if given a choice of targets, the North Koreans would pick something that would inflict some real damage, say power grids, or banking. Its not as if anyone in North Korea was ever going to see this film, and they know perfecly well what the world thinks of them. This movie does them no harm, why go after it?

          1. solo
            Paris Hilton

            Only time can tell

            Just wait for 6 months or so. If they are really Norks (govt sponsored), they will not leak anything now, as they will be risking the release of the movie.

            If they are actually from the land of free hackers, they'll not be able to keep the urge from posting these on 4Chan for some pennies.

          2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            I'll stand by my premise that, if given a choice of targets, the North Koreans would pick something that would inflict some real damage

            No nation is a monolith of consensus, not even North Korea. "[T]he North Koreans" are ~25 million people, some of whom might disagree on a fitting target for their 133t hacking skillz. Interviews with people who've escaped the regime confirm that, just as anyone sensible would suspect, people there are capable of individual thought.

            I have no idea whether anyone from North Korea was involved in the Sony attack; and if anyone was, whether it was authorized by any part of the government. But it seems unlikely that it was the result of a careful plot developed by the keenest strategic planners in the regime; and to assume that's the only possibility is foolish.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        You are forgetting that the film directly struck at the over-inflated ego of the Nork's Great Leader.

  2. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Facepalm

    He really wanted to see that movie badly

    Obama, in a pre-recorded interview with CNN that's expected to air later today, said that the alleged Nork attack on Sony Pictures was not "an act of war".

    We are already at the level of stupidity where this needs to be mentioned on TV? I thought we still have a couple of years to go.

    1. Khaptain Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: He really wanted to see that movie badly

      " I thought we still have a couple of years to go."

      Maybe the Yanks have lost interest in Afghanistan and are simply looking to move on. Maybe there are a couple of Missile Manufacturers, that need to shift some stock and NK would be an excellent opportunity. Might be worth investing in Raytheon for a quick buck or two. ( Or whoever G.W. Bush invests in ).

      Icon is obvious ->>>

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Khaptain - Re: He really wanted to see that movie badly

        I would suggest you to watch a movie titled Canadian Bacon.

  3. Mark 85

    Let's not forget the Sony bailout...

    I suspect that someone who's conveniently received a large campaign contribution will now propose a bailout to help poor Sony.

    I do find it strange though, that the members of Congress have been strangely quiet on this. Yes, it's the Christmas break and many are lame ducks, but still, they like to put forth anything that will get them attention.

    This just keeps getting more bizarre all the time what with NK now threatening a major "attack" on the US for not only sullying their good name but also for refusing to let them help in the investigation.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Let's not forget the Sony bailout...

      Congress is probably keeping quiet because all the results aren't in yet so you can't tell what the winning side is going to be. Or even what the sides actually are, come to that. Plus all parties who have claimed an interest (or vehement denials, as the case may be) are famous for lying glibly.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Let's not forget the Sony bailout...

        TLA assistant stooge Rep. Mike Rogers (Chairman House Intelligence Committee) is already talking up letting those TLA off what's left of their leash.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Let's not forget the Sony bailout...

          TLA assistant stooge Rep. Mike Rogers (Chairman House Intelligence Committee) is already talking up letting those TLA off what's left of their leash.

          To be fair, he's been making that argument since he first got to the House in 2000. He's my rep, so I pay some attention. Rogers is ex-FBI, so of course he thinks the agencies should have more power.

          On the other hand, he won't be making it much longer, since he leaves office on 3 January. (He decided not to run for another term. His replacement is probably worse but will likely be less effective. I'm not real happy about it since Rogers has done some good stuff - tax-free educational savings accounts, for example - when he's not pumping up the police state. And while I think he's completely wrong about security matters, at least he isn't stupid. I haven't seen any evidence of that from Mike Bishop.)

    2. Naughtyhorse

      Re: Curious and Curiouser...

      Even more bizarre the claim of innocence and in the next breath threatening to do it again, but worse.

      Sounds like the fad lad is due for a shock.

      sadly it would have to be a ground offensive, as flying over and bombing them back to the stone age would only lead to an unprecedented increase in the living standard of you typical nork.

  4. John Brown (no body) Silver badge
    Mushroom

    "We will respond proportionately."

    So, in terms of profits and GDP does this mean a proportionate response is to wipe out NK?

    Or is Obama just suggesting wiping out NKs biggest film producer in a tit for tat resonse?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "We will respond proportionately."

      My bet would be putting pressure on China to limit NK's internet access to the rest of the world. There are only the chosen few and the hacker group who have internet access in NK anyway (aside from those who live near the border with China and can access their cellular network at the risk of imprisonment or worse) so it would be something that only affect NK's leadership, but doesn't make things worse for the every day citizens.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: "We will respond proportionately."

        Are we going to take out the satellites whose channels the happen to be using as well?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If the chubby despot had a problem with The Interview then he's going to love this.

    Larry Flynt doesn't have any immediate plans for an NK holiday, it would seem.

  6. Timpatco

    The "little "o" " slimes up to his "new best fwend"

  7. veti Silver badge

    Euphemism city

    "Request", in this story, should really be spelled "t-h-r-e-a-t-e-n".

    China is NK's lifeline - without constant Chinese support, the country would have collapsed decades ago. Everyone knows that.

    America "requesting China's help" here is a bit like - your neighbour's dog has been barking all night and keeping you up, so you point a gun at it over the fence and then "politely request" your neighbour to muzzle it.

    I don't know if NK was responsible for the attack - the FBI and USGovt generally have lied way too often to be accepted at face value, without showing their work in detail, and in this case they're not doing that. More importantly, though, I don't see why a single cent of US taxpayer money should be spent avenging the profits of a private corporation.

    (Of course, the answer to that is at opensecrets.org. Unfortunately that site seems to be down right now.)

  8. Kev99 Silver badge

    A talking head on the radio said the reason North Korea invited the USA into a joint investigation is embarrass the US. Maybe the US should should surprise the Norks and agree instead of once more making its mind up without all the info at hand. Kind of like Iraq.

  9. Lars Silver badge
    Coat

    How sad

    But then again perhaps even Sony should do (invest) something in their IT systems security. Next Botswana or something will be accused. What the hell, are those Norks actually that good, and if so, should we not look at how we perform. Came to think of it, is not Sony Korean or something.

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I agree with Mark 85 here

    NK has nothing to do with this, it's all about Sony's bailout. Once again media lobbying is asking for help from good ol' papa US gov. Sony is more than happy to see its movie scraped if it can use this to rebuild their corporate reputation (look how bad we've been hurt!) and their CEO to avoid being held accountable together with those in charge with IT security at Sony.

    Come on, people, a planetary superpower like US to be scared by NK ? I mean Americans were scared when a bunch of anonymous people told them not to go to movie theaters but now facing some "serious" menace from KN gov they stand up bravely, without fear ? Something's wrong here!

  11. Paul 129

    Keys to the Kingdom.

    Something you know: Collect via cup of coffee. Hack.

    Something you have: Collect by burglary. Hack.

    Something you are: Amputation. Hack it off!

    Nork Nork Nork!

    .

    Somone called Simon:Me? I just answer the phone. You want that guy over there. He's does all the funky IT stuff. Points to a upstart bean counter with delusions of adequacy.

    Nork Team disappears with the victim.

    Somone called Simon: Somehow starts wearing one of those silver conductive suits. And the stair rail gets some new network attachments. Grid Networking may not be the rage these days, but at 20KV direct from a substation, it must be respected.

    The story about how the power got switched on the bottom, and somehow all the Norks providing a nice conductive path, at the correct time, after they find out, who the real admin is.... Well that IS the trade secret ;-)

  12. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Holmes

    Maybe Mr. Community Organizer will FINALLY get his Nobel Prize revoked

    Meanwhile, someone did a writeup:

    The FBI told their story about North Korea attacking Sony. Before we retaliate, read what they didn’t tell you.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      Re: Maybe Mr. Community Organizer will FINALLY get his Nobel Prize revoked

      Thanks. Nice evidence-based synopsis.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It could be....

    That the attack was carried out by irate Spiderman fans who just want Sony to give that franchise back to Marvel?

  14. Version 1.0 Silver badge
    FAIL

    NK inserts petard in mouth.

    I was keeping an open mind about this being a false flag operation but it seems that NK's stupidity has no limits and I'm leaning towards billing them for this one. I'm still very interested in the method that they used to break in AND get the data out without being noticed.

    Under normal circumstances I wouldn't been seen anywhere near a theater showing a film that appears to be this stupid but now ... yup, I want to see it.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Very funny

    This is so southpark material. I can just see Cartman and Butters asking for help from the Chinese

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Considering that this is China we are talking about...

    I'd think there is a greater danger that they and the Norks will compare notes on how to most efficiently penetrate the IT security at your average major corporation.

    (And it's not like China really has a ton of influence over the Norks anyway. North Korea seems to be blackmailing Beijing with the prospect of "if you don't provide us with oil and other goodies, we'll collapse, and then you will have hundreds of thousands of refugees flowing into Manchuria and the South Koreans will come up from the DMZ and the next thing you know you will have a U.S.-allied united Korea on your northern border. You know, the outcome you jumped into the Korean War to avoid 60 years ago.")

  17. crayon

    "North Korea seems to be blackmailing Beijing ..."

    North Korea's threat to "self destruct" is ultimately an empty threat if the people in power (Kim and friends, military top brass) value their own survival. If it collapse, the people in power could very well find themselves hanging off lamp posts like the Ceaușescus in Romania, or worse, fed to dogs as Kim allegedly did to his uncle. Very few countries would be willing to offer Kim asylum should he decide to do a runner - China wouldn't if the collapse was deliberately self-inflicted. Russia would be the country most able to provide refuge for Kim, but whether it will do so depends on its relations with the warmongering Nato countries and its economic situation at the time. If both are bad then they may decide it's not worth their while harbouring a worthless fugitive such as Kim.

    In the long run, a united and stronger Korea would most likely be better for China. Korea could play its traditional role as a buffer zone between China and Japan :) Right now South Korea is a slave to Japan/US alliance because of the North Korea threat. Remove that threat and a united Korea can afford to have a more independent relationship with regards to China and Japan/US. A united and eventually more prosperous Korea also offers China more trade opportunities than a poverty stricken North Korea.

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