Sony hack a US 'national security matter'

The White House said it is treating a sweeping cyber attack on Sony Pictures as a "serious national security matter", as top administration, diplomatic and law enforcement officials weigh how to respond.

Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman, declined on Thursday to blame the attack on North Korea. Pyongyang has described Sony's planned release of a film depicting a farcical assassination of leader Kim Jong Un as an act of war.

However, Mr Earnest confirmed the White House believed the attack was carried out by a "sophisticated" actor, with the administration now convening daily meetings to plot out the options for a response.

"Consistent with the president's previous statements about how we will protect against, monitor and respond to cyber incidents, this is something that's being treated as a serious national security matter," Mr Earnest said.

"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."

On Wednesday, Sony scrapped the theatrical release of 'The Interview', a comedy starring Seth Rogen, after a threat from cyber hackers prompted America's five largest cinema chains to say they would not screen the film.

The cancellation of the $42m movie is the latest twist in a controversy that has engulfed the studio since hackers leaked emails of the company's executives and large amounts of personal information about employees.

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"We're in uncharted territory here where the US is seeing a foreign actor going after a corporate entity," said Mitch Silber of K2 Intelligence, an investigative consultancy.

"There certainly have been national hackers going after intelligence from US companies but here's an actual destructive event that's occurred. There aren't really policy precedents of what the US can do, should do and what's proportional to do."

Companies are also scrambling to respond by improving their cyber defences. Mr Silber said he had been retained by one Hollywood studio, which he declined to name. "The stakes are high for the studios and I think this shows how vulnerable any of them can be."

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