Sloppy tradecraft, limited business “upheaval” and “one of the best Korean meals I’ve ever had.”
According to the FBI, the Korean hackers who targeted Sony accidentally exposed their IP addresses during the attacks, which has given the bureau “very high confidence” in pinning the attacks on the North. Speaking at a FBI-Fordham University cybersecurity conference, FBI director James Comey stated that the hackers connected directly to IP addresses that are only used in North Korea before quickly switching over to proxy servers to try and mask the hackers identity.
Sony Corp Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai doesn’t believe that the November hack against Sony Pictures will cause serious upheaval to the studios business. Hirai stated, “we are still reviewing the effects of the cyber attack, however, I do not see it as something that will cause a material upheaval on Sony Pictures business operations.” Reuters has the story.
When U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was in North Korea in November to secure the release of American citizens being held by the North he had the opportunity to eat dinner with the general who commands the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the North’s main intelligence agency and the organization behind the Sony attack. Although he had one of “the best Korean meals” during the trip, the meeting with the general was somewhat standoff-ish.