Sony hack now a “serious national security matter”
The Cyber attack on Sony is a “serious national security matter”, according to the White House. The US’s top brass is now working out how to respond to threats and coercion that have led to blockbuster The Interview, which was stars Seth Rogen and James Franco, being cancelled in fear at cinemas across the United States.
Despite the strong wording, Josh Earnest, a spokesperson for the White House, would not confirm rumours that the hackers were linked to renegade state North Korea. The state has praised the hack as a "righteous deed," but has denied involvement.
All Earnest would say was that whoever had carried out the attack had perpetrated a crime of sophisticated nature:
There is evidence to indicate that we have seen destructive activity with malicious intent that was initiated by a sophisticated actor and it is being treated by investigative agencies, both at the FBI and the Department of Justice, as seriously as you would expect.
The cancelling of The Interview will be a major blow for Sony, which could potentially cost the stricken giant $300m.