“It’s the Koreans,” Sony Says, Not Internal Hack

Many news sites have been promoting the theory–put forward by various cyber-security experts with a presumed interest in gaining some publicity–that the Sony Hack was an inside job spearheaded by various disgruntled ex-employees. How could the dump of Sony data be so targeted to embarrass Sony if insiders weren’t involved?

Well, what Sony chairmen Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal didn’t see coming was the eager and enthusiastic trawling through the data by media insiders who knew exactly what they were looking for. They brought the focus to the most gossipy insider stories, on Pascal, Scott Rudin, Angelina Jolie, the Steve Jobs movie (Mashable’s play-by-play is a must-read), Barack Obama’s taste in African-American movies, Lynton’s angling for a job at NYU, etc.

I don’t buy the “growing evidence that the North Korean regime may not have been wholly responsible for a brazen cyber assault against Sony–and possibly wasn’t involved at all” scenario. Neither does The New York Times, which is sticking to the FBI analysis, and offers a plausible explanation for what actually happened, blow by bloody blow. Excellent reporting. 

The NYT is tougher on cool and collected CEO Lynton, who didn’t fight back against the hack at first, than Pascal, the subject of the most embarrassing emails. And it reveals the PR blunders that led President Obama to criticize Sony for giving in to terrorist threats. 

The FBI continues to insist that the origin of the hack is North Korea. “There is no credible information to indicate that any other individual is responsible for this cyber-incident,” stated an FBI spokesman Tuesday, per Variety, “The FBI is committed to identifying and pursuing those responsible for this act and bringing them to justice. While it remains an ongoing investigation, no further information can be provided at this time.” And a White House’s National Security Council spokesman added: “The administration stands by the FBI assessment.” .