North Korea had a pretty nervy response to accusations by American intelligence that it was behind the giant Sony hack. It wasn’t us, they said, but we’d be glad to help with the investigation. People laughed it off. After all the FBI had looked into the hack and determined that North Korea was responsible. President Barack Obama agreed, pointing his finger solely at North Korea. (The North Koreans had a less savvy response to this, calling Obama a “monkey.”)
But many in the cyber security field thought the FBI’s conclusion was rash and irresponsible. Now a security firm called Norse, which has been looking into the hack, has uncovered evidence pointing far from North Korea. Norse just briefed the FBI on its findings. Norse says it has identified six individuals with direct involvement in the hack, including two based in the U.S. and one in Canada. Among them is a former Sony employee who was laid off in May after ten years with the company. The FBI has not yet changed its tune. Maybe North Korea knows something?
