White House Considering ‘Range of Options’ In Sony Attack
December 17, 2014 | 03:13PM PT
Ted Johnson
Senior Editor @tedstew
The U.S. government is considering “a range of options in
weighing a potential response” to the hacking attack on Sony Pictures
Entertainment, as reports swirled on Wednesday that
investigators have concluded that North Korea is linked to the security breach
on the studio.
“The United States is investigating attribution and will
provide an update at the appropriate time,” said a spokeswoman for the White
House’s National
Security Council, without naming North Korea. “The U.S.
government is working tirelessly to bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice,
and we are considering a range of options in weighing a potential response.”
Earlier on Wednesday, CNN, CNBC and other news outlet cited unnamed
sources in reporting that hackers working on behalf of the North Korean
government were behind the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“We have found linkage to the North Korean government,” a
source told CNBC.
CNN’s Evan Perez said that an announcement is expected on
Thursday that would “assign attribution” to the country, which threatened
retaliation over the release of “The Interview.”
An FBI official said
that the agency had no immediate comment because the investigation is ongoing.
But they are expected to issue a statement on their findings within the next
day.
The New York Times
reported that U.S. officials had differences of opinion on whether
the hackers were aided by Sony insiders. The Times reported that U.S. officials
had determined that North Korea was “centrally involved” in the attacks on
Sony.
It’s unclear what kind of action the U.S. may take, if any,
in response, or whether it would issue any kind of an official statement.
“The U.S. government closely monitors all reports of
breaches affecting U.S. companies, U.S. consumers, and U.S. infrastructure,”
NSC spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement. “We know that
criminals and foreign countries regularly seek to gain access to government and
private sector networks – both in the United States and elsewhere.”
She added, “We are aware of Sony’s announcement regarding
‘’The Interview.’ The United States respects artists’ and entertainers’
right to produce and distribute content of their choosing. The U.S. government
has no involvement in such decisions. We take very seriously any attempt
to threaten or limit artists’ freedom of speech or of expression.”
In an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, President Obama
said that his administration was taking the hacker attack seriously but that
“for now my recommendation would be, go to the movies.” The interview
apparently was conducted before Sony announced that it was pulling the
movie from release after major theater chains decided not to show it.
On Tuesday, the studio said that it was leaving a decision
of whether to show the movie to exhibitors. That came after the hackers issued
a threat of physical harm and a “9/11″ style attack at theaters where the movie
was being shown. But an official with the Department of Homeland Security told
media outlets that there was “no credible intelligence” showing an active plot.
Meehan said that the U.S. government “has offered Sony
Pictures Entertainment support and assistance in response to the attack. ” The
FBi is leading the investigation.
An FBI official had no comments on reports of North Korea’s
involvement, citing an ongoing investigation.
North Korea
Kim Jong Un is the
leader of North Korea, and met with Dennis Rodman in 2013.
Note:
Dennis Rodman
met with Kim Jong Un in 2013, and
was a player for the Chicago Bulls.
Henry
Crown and Company is an investor in the Chicago Bulls.
James S. Crown is
the president for Henry Crown and
Company, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a trustee
at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Lester Crown is the
chairman for Henry Crown and Company,
a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a lifetime trustee
at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Madeleine K.
Albright is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), the chair
for the Albright Stonebridge Group, was
a member of the National Security
Council, and Suzanne A. George
was her special assistant & assistant counsel.
Suzanne A. George
was Madeleine K. Albright’s special
assistant & assistant counsel, a principal at the Albright Stonebridge Group, is the executive secretary for the National Security Council, and the deputy
assistant to the president for the Barack
Obama administration.
Andrea L. Wong
was a fellow at the Aspen Institute
(think tank), and is the president of international production for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Walter Isaacson
is the president & CEO for the Aspen
Institute (think tank), and was the chairman & CEO for CNN.
Ted Turner is the
founder of CNN, and a member of the Kappa Sigma.
Lamar Hunt was a member
of the Kappa Sigma, and founding
investor for the Chicago Bulls.
Dennis Rodman was
a player for the Chicago Bulls, and met
with Kim Jong Un in 2013.
Kim Jong Un met
with Dennis Rodman in 2013, and is
the leader of North Korea.
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