There’s something a little sad about a great conspiracy theory being disproven.
When Sony was hacked over the weekend and saw both Fury and Annie released online, many wondered if North Korea was behind the attack. Why would they do such a thing, you may ask? Sony is also the company behind, The Interview, which parodies North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un and centers its entire plot around James Franco and Seth Rogen plotting to assassinate him.
North Korea did not deny involvement in the hack, which only further fueled rumors of their involvement. However, despite all their bluster about “stern punishment” in the wake of the film’s release, it seems that North Korea (shockingly) may have been bluffing.
The hack appears to have been an inside job, with a group calling themselves Guardians of Peace taking credit for the attack. Cybersecurity experts seem to think that this kind of hack would require someone who had admin rights on the network, with one saying that:
“Hackers don't use such things as Hushmail, Dropbox and Facebook when they want to engage in what amounts to criminal activity. Real hackers know that these sites collect access logs, IP addresses and work with law enforcement. It is possible that North Korean-sponsored hackers were working with someone on the inside. But it is more likely a ruse to shift blame, knowing the distaste the North Korean regime has for Sony Pictures.”
UPDATE: After playing coy for a while, a North Korean official has issued a statement denying the country's involvement:
"Linking the DPRK to the Sony hacking is another fabrication targeting the country. My country publicly declared that it would follow international norms banning hacking and piracy."
[via THR]
