U.S. sanctions North Korea over Sony cyberattack- Brian Ries

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This photo combination shows U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea has compared Obama to a monkey and blamed the U.S. for shutting down its Internet amid the hacking row over the movie "The Interview."

Image: AP Photos/Associated Press

The U.S. hit North Korea with sanctions on Friday in response to the hermit country's alleged role in the massive cyberattack on Sony Pictures. White House officials said the move is just the first part of the Obama administration's response to the hack, which "crossed a threshold" due to its destructive nature.
The latest sanctions are meant to hold North Korea accountable for its attempt to "undermine U.S. cyber-security and intimidate U.S. businesses and artists exercising their right of freedom of speech," according to the U.S. Treasury statement. The FBI in December said it connected the North Korean government to the hack, but officials didn't go into further detail about their evidence.

White the FBI investigation is still continuing, these sanctions are an example of the "broad set of tools" the U.S. will employ to defend its businesses and citizens, Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew said.

Friday's sanctions are "the first aspect" of the U.S. response to the cyber attack

Friday's sanctions are "the first aspect" of the U.S. response to the cyber attack, according to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. President Obama said last month would be proportional and occur in a time and manner of his choosing. "We take seriously North Korea’s attack that aimed to create destructive financial effects on a U.S. company and to threaten artists and other individuals with the goal of restricting their right to free expression," added Earnest.
The attack was reportedly retaliation for Sony's release of The Interview, which the studio briefly pulled from theaters, a move that Obama said was "a mistake." A North Korea spokesperson denied that it hacked Sony, though called the cyber attack a "righteous deed."
The sanctions announced on Friday are meant to further isolate key North Korean entities by increasing financial pressure on the government and its officials, Lew said, with officials calling on financial institutions around the world to "take note" of the sanctions and refuse to do business with their targets.

"The order is not targeted at the people of North Korea, but rather is aimed at the government of North Korea and its activities that threaten the United States and others,"

"The order is not targeted at the people of North Korea, but rather is aimed at the government of North Korea and its activities that threaten the United States and others," Obama said in a letter to Congress. Senior administration officials on Friday called them unprecedented, noting it was the first time the U.S. had used sanctions in response to a foreign country's attack on a U.S. company. They stood behind their belief that North Korea was responsible, with White House officials saying they "remain very confident" and an FBI official telling reporters, "We are standing by our assessment," adding that cybersecurity firms that have raised doubts simply don't have access to the same intelligence and information its investigators have seen.
The sanctions target three entities of the North Korean government and 10 officials who operate in and outside of North Korea.

 

Culled from Mashable