Doubt over N Korea links to Sony attack

A senior FBI official has said that the agency has not confirmed widely held suspicions that North Korea is behind the unprecedented cyber attack on Sony’s Hollywood studio.

“There is no attribution to North Korea at this point,” Joe Demarest, assistant director with the FBI’s cyber division, said while speaking on a panel at a cyber-security conference sponsored by Bloomberg Government.

The comment casts at least some doubt on the widely held belief that North Korea has definitely been determined to be the culprit in the massive attack on the Hollywood studio, leaving room for other theories to emerge.

Researchers who have analysed the malicious software used in the attack say that technical indicators suggest North Korean hackers launched the attack. People close to separate investigations being conducted by Sony and the government have said North Korea is a main suspect, yet a North Korean diplomat has denied that his country is involved.

Demarest also said that there has been no confirmation of government involvement to date, though he did not elaborate.

FBI spokesman Joshua Campbell said the agency is continuing its search for the attackers but had no additional information.