back to article Norks SCOLD Prez Obama over Sony mega hack payback sanctions

North Korea has slammed the U.S. government, after it imposed new economic sanctions on the Kim Jong Un regime as payback for the massive Sony Pictures hack attack – even though the frankly iffy allegation that the Norks were behind the assault remains widely open to doubt. Earlier today, Pyongyang reiterated in a statement …

  1. Naughtyhorse

    Targets

    NK intelligence, NK arms research and NK arms manufacturers...

    Given that NK is one of the worlds most oppressive regimes shouldn't we have been utterly opposed the activities of these organisations all along?

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Targets

      Since they were presumably harming North Koreans shouldn't we have been funding them ?

    2. Matt Bryant Silver badge

      Re: Naughtyhorse Re: Targets

      ".....shouldn't we have been utterly opposed the activities of these organisations all along?" We did, but the sanctions imposed after the last bit of Nork nuke testing/theatrics were lifted when Kim Jr. promised to be a good boy. Basically, North Korea has one staple export to earn foreign currency with and that's weapons, so whenever we agree to allow them to trade internationally it means them selling weapons. Blocking their weapon sales leaves them completely beholden to China for essentials such as diesel and food, and the Chinese will try and keep their dog on a leash because they've realised their own economy does better selling stuff to America in times of peace.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    the U.S. government's "inveterate repugnancy and hostility" towards Pyongyang

    The US government is right about some things, you know.

    1. chivo243 Silver badge

      Re: the U.S. government's "inveterate repugnancy and hostility" towards Pyongyang

      @Arnaut the less

      Upvote, and correct, some of the time. Welcome to the clocks are right twice a day universe!

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: the U.S. government's "inveterate repugnancy and hostility" towards Pyongyang

      I also like DPRK complaining that the US is "groundlessly stirring up bad blood toward it". Given that they repreatedly threatened to nuke the USA last year (along with Japan and South Korea). Which seems just a tad more hostile to me...

  3. Mad Chaz

    So human rights violation, torture, crimes against humanity = OK, no probs.

    Hack a film studio that can't take basic security measures and keeps getting hacked like hell = sanctions.

    Never mind if they actually did it. Even if they DID do it.

    .... I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

    1. Chris G

      Who?

      "So human rights violation, torture, crimes against humanity = OK, no probs."

      But hack a film studio? The US would never do that!

      1. solo
        Thumb Down

        Re: The US would never do that!

        "..The US would never do that!.."

        Really. US will just send its band of spies so that they bath in open and cause shame to a whole music genre in a country and cause innocent music bands fleeing from their country (read Cuba).

    2. Matt 4

      "So human rights violation, torture, crimes against humanity = OK, no probs."

      You forget - they are not American people as such their lives are worth nothing in the US Government's eyes. But to be fair NK exists under almost blanket sanctions anyway.

    3. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Mad Chaz,

      You do realise the US already has heavy sanctions on North Korea, and just added a few more to make the point. It's had those sanctions for ages, has stationed it's own troops in the South for the last 65 years in order to protect them from Northern invasion, and has spent the last umpty years alternating between negotiations with the regime to reduce tensions while reducing sanctions a tad, and then raising them back again after the inevitable DPRK breaking of whatever deal was signed, and letting them stew in their own juices for a bit before inviting them back to the table. Short of a horrifically costly invasion and regime change, there's not a lot of other choices.

      In this case I can see very little to criticise the US for. But don't let that interfere with your knee-jerk anti-American rant...

  4. sysconfig

    Evidence?

    "The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has claimed to have uncovered evidence linking North Korea to the harmful hack on struggling film studio Sony Pictures late last year."

    Let's see the evidence then. Most if not all security researchers seem to disagree.

    Why does this remind me of the "evidence" for the existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq?

    It's sickening that the US of A can make things up as they go... and get away with both making up evidence and -worse- taking action based on those tales.

    1. Palpy

      Re: Evidence?

      Upvote. Yes, some sec bods are being pretty specific about the Sony hack: a former employee who left Sony sometime in the spring of 2014, and who had access to certain servers and accounts. They note that all the "evidence" of NK involvement leads to dead ends. My guess is that the hacker planted the NK "clues" to deflect suspicion from him/herself.

      One must remember that US intelligence agencies have a long history of mistakes, misinformation, and missed boats.

    2. Matt Bryant Silver badge

      Re: sysconfig Re: Evidence?

      "....Let's see the evidence then. Most if not all security researchers seem to disagree....." So exactly which security research group do you think has the resources and reach of the CIA and NSA?

      "....Why does this remind me of the "evidence" for the existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq?....." A little reading to help fill that gap in your knowledge - http://www.iraqwatch.org/wmd/

    3. MissingSecurity

      Re: Evidence?

      While I tend to agree with the board case made by researcher, the reason we are actually fueling this fire is due to the security firm Norse Security, which hasn't actually proven it was an inside hack,just that it has a strong correlation between 6 people, one whom presumably had high level access to Sony systems, and that it was talking with the FBI, etc about it.

      I mean the whole blast of media appearances Norse top brass did, with out verification, wasn't to promote the company, but to provide another story right?

      I have no trust of my country's three letter organizations as much as the rest of the world, but I've dug a little on the the whole Insider attack thing, and its still pretty vague, even if it's released clues lead to a logical argument for it not being NK. I'd like some more info on it.

  5. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Windows

    "Would send a message to the Norks"

    Always that schoolyard bully canned marketo-quote. Right up there with "all options on the table" (except the genital ones I suppose) and "at the time of our choosing".

    One could simply pick up the phone instead.

    1. Ole Juul

      Re: "Would send a message to the Norks"

      Send a message indeed. And like any other schoolyard bully, they have no idea what message they are actually sending. In this case it's particularly embarrassing.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Why aren't our sanctions against NK already maxed out?

    Ignoring this foolishness about them hacking Sony, they aren't exactly our friends so if we want to hurt them why were we holding back these sanctions until now? I get the feeling these sanctions aren't intended to really harm them, but more of a PR exercise, so that when they do something we don't like (or we think they have or claim they have) we can say we're taking action.

    It is like dealing with a kid and taking away some his toys as punishment. Once you've taken away all his toys and sent him to his room, there really isn't anything more you can do if he continues to misbehave. So presumably there are still some sanctions we could impose we haven't so that we'll have something more to do...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Why aren't our sanctions against NK already maxed out?

      A spanking!

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Why aren't our sanctions against NK already maxed out?

        Spanking a country would imply military action. You don't spank a country with nukes any more than you would spank a kid who has his own handgun collection :)

      2. Vic

        Re: Why aren't our sanctions against NK already maxed out?

        A spanking!

        And after the spanking?

        Vic.

        [ Who is quite happy to accept a certain amount of peril ]

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Why aren't our sanctions against NK already maxed out?

          "You must do with her what you will, and after that..."

          [ I also believe that some perils should be faced up to, no matter how perilous ]

    2. uncle sjohie

      Re: Why aren't our sanctions against NK already maxed out?

      International diplomacy, military doctrine, and common sense, all agree on the fact that it's not a good idea to back a nuclear armed dictator, into to tight of a corner.

      But the last 2 years have seen a subtle shift in the attitude towards North Korea by the USA and South Korea. Until then, NK would do something provocative, like setting off some half assed underground nuclear firecracker, or shoot off a rocket over the sea of Japan, and negotiate some fuel-oil of lift of a few sanctions for stopping. Now they just ignore them if it's possible, and don't offer anything. Then they back down on their own accord.

  7. Mark 85

    As an American,

    I say "WTF"? We've seen no evidence other than one agency's word. Heard zip from NSA or CIA who ought to know. And now more "sanctions"? I'm wondering who and what is all behind this especially since the Norks said they're sitting down for some discussions with the US and the Southern Korea. I'm sensing it's a power struggle or game. Much like the never-ending discussions over the size and shape of the conference table that the North Vietnamese and Americans had way back when. More smoke and mirrors, I presume.

    1. Palpy
      Thumb Up

      As another American,

      I say -- Remember the Gulf of Tonkin Incident? The attack was partly provoked and partly manufactured because the NSA and the military knew LBJ wanted an excuse to go to war. It all happened again when the CIA and other agencies reported that Saddam Hussein had WMD, and posed an "immediate threat" to the USA.

      Now, the FBI is not the CIA. ("Clowns In Action", one Navy guy called them.) The FBI actually do crime investigation. But I think you're right about the smoke and mirrors. When the hack is traced to a guy Sony fired, the FBI will have a coughing fit, and then five years later they'll allow as how they really didn't have any evidence of NK involvement after all.

      Ironically, if the above scenario is correct, it puts the North Korean government in the right on this issue. They didn't do sod-all to Sony. Even though they really are a snotball of a regime.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: As an American,

      and as another, very familiar with the area and the players when wearing the uniform, and lastly understanding the (cyber-)security side, I'm not buying this narrative at all. I can't think of anyone that actually does this for a living agreeing that it was just he North Koreans. Or that they were the instigators. Now nuking Sony's servers, yeah that might be possible.

      One other item, in every FBI investigation up until this one, the FBI has never released any information on a current investigation right up until the federal attorney receives the grand jury approval. They just don't do it. Ever. Yet suddenly they are. Leopards, spots. Huh?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Sanctions have hit

    Their friendly dictator cannot get high heels. After sampling a local prototype he suffered his current injuries

    Further details of the conditions of the sample trial seem to be restricted, like his feet allegedly were.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Haha would you just look at that picture? He looks as gormless as every other Windows user!

    "Hello?? mum? can you hear me? What.. I've no microphone? <gun-shot + thud>"

  10. MustyMusgrave
    Angel

    More Lies from O-bama bin and barry sorento.. where's your birth-certificate illuminati chum, oh you cant produce it, so you mean, a select group of Jewish hackers now controls congress and the congressional voters.. Ah so it's true, you faked your birth certificate and now you control the white-house but your actually black.. thats rad cousin!

    Lots of people claimed the rep for the Sony hack, Lizard Squad, UK lizard squad North Korea, read betwen the lines it says... "America did it" all over it!

    Never fear come election day, your choices are;

    Vote for Jebadiah Bush <~ Hill-billies!

    Vote for Hilary Clinton <~ Dont ask about my house morgage, i dont pay tax!

    or Vote for some other Republican party thats trying desperately to reclaim the lawlessness of Congress from the Voter's that worship O-bama!

    1. MustyMusgrave

      oh an Btw

      oh and by the way at Hilary, did you ever have that long talk with your spouse about his wayward willy ending up in Monica Lewinsky?

      Hey Chelsea, need to tell you, Daddy is a Philanthropist, in english, thats a guy who can't keep his dick in his pants and does it to his secretary on the oval office desk, but meh, not as bad as bush junior hoofing coke up his nose in the same office.. Debt ceiling, what debt ceiling, this is washington, we've got lots of white-wash!

      1. Vic

        Re: oh an Btw

        Daddy is a Philanthropist, in english, thats a guy who can't keep his dick in his pants

        Errr - you might like to consult a dictionary. A philanthropist is nothing like what you described.

        I suspect the word you're after is "philanderer".

        Vic.

  11. MustyMusgrave
    Joke

    All hail Kim/..

    Kim (dot) Com ... Kowtow!

    Jing Xi .. China.. Kowtow!

    On your knees you western dog!

    All hail the imperial empire! He's only fat because he know's Kentucky Fried Child is that "Good!"

    우리의 디지털 세계의 주인

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