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It Wasn't North Korea Or Russia: Sony Hack "Perpetrator" Said To Be Laid-Off, Disgruntled Employee
Zero Hedge ^ | 12/30/2014 | Tyler Durden

Posted on 12/30/2014 7:50:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind

First it was, with "absolute certainly", North Korea. Then, out of the blue, an even more ridiculous theory emerged about the origin of the Sony hackers: Russia. Now, we finally get the truth, and as it turns out it was neither of the abovementioned sovereign actors who had nothing better to do than to hack movie scripts and racist emails: it was Sony's own disgruntled worker who was the source of the hack. According to Politico, FBI agents investigating the Sony Pictures hack were briefed Monday by a security firm that says its research points to laid-off Sony staff, not North Korea, as the perpetrator."

Researchers from the cyber intelligence company Norse have said their own investigation into the data on the Sony attack doesn’t point to North Korea at all and instead indicates some combination of a disgruntled employee and hackers for piracy groups is at fault.

But... but just a week ago the FBI was so absolutely certain it was North Korea it released the following statement:

Today, the FBI would like to provide an update on the status of our investigation into the cyber attack targeting Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE). In late November, SPE confirmed that it was the victim of a cyber attack that destroyed systems and stole large quantities of personal and commercial data. A group calling itself the "Guardians of Peace" claimed responsibility for the attack and subsequently issued threats against SPE, its employees, and theaters that distribute its movies.

 

The FBI has determined that the intrusion into SPE's network consisted of the deployment of destructive malware and the theft of proprietary information as well as employees' personally identifiable information and confidential communications. The attacks also rendered thousands of SPE's computers inoperable, forced SPE to take its entire computer network offline, and significantly disrupted the company's business operations.

 

After discovering the intrusion into its network, SPE requested the FBI's assistance. Since then, the FBI has been working closely with the company throughout the investigation. Sony has been a great partner in the investigation, and continues to work closely with the FBI. Sony reported this incident within hours, which is what the FBI hopes all companies will do when facing a cyber attack. Sony's quick reporting facilitated the investigators' ability to do their jobs, and ultimately to identify the source of these attacks.

 

As a result of our investigation, and in close collaboration with other U.S. Government departments and agencies, the FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions.

So will the humiliation ever end? Or does Obama have to launch a "preemptive" nuclear first in addition to taking down North Korea's internet and cell phone service before he too admits his false flag-based foreign policy is an epic disaster?

To be sure, the FBI says it is standing by its conclusions, "but the security community says they’ve been open and receptive to help from the private sector throughout the Sony investigation."

Norse’s senior vice president of market development said that just the quickness of the FBI’s conclusion that North Korea was responsible was a red flag.

“When the FBI made the announcement so soon after the initial hack was unveiled, everyone in the [cyber] intelligence community kind of raised their eyebrows at it, because it’s really hard to pin this on anyone within days of the attack,” Kurt Stammberger said in an interview as his company briefed FBI investigators Monday afternoon.

 

He said the briefing was set up after his company approached the agency with its findings.

 

Stammberger said after the meeting the FBI was “very open and grateful for our data and assistance” but didn’t share any of its data with Norse, although that was what the company expected.

 

The FBI said Monday it is standing behind its assessment, adding that evidence doesn’t support any other explanations.

Of course it is: otherwise it would look like a total idiot. It still will, but in time the FBI hopes nobody will remember this entire unfortunate embarrassing incident, and can just back away quietly with a small footnote explanation on page 18.

“When the FBI made the announcement so soon after the initial hack was unveiled, everyone in the [cyber] intelligence community kind of raised their eyebrows at it, because it’s really hard to pin this on anyone within days of the attack,” Kurt Stammberger said in an interview as his company briefed FBI investigators Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Norse is pretty adamant the FBI are a bunch of clowns:

"Whenever we see some indicators or leads that North Korea may be involved, when we follow those leads, they turn out to be dead ends,” Stammberger said. “Do I think it’s likely that [officials] have a smoking gun? … We think that we would have seen key indicators by now in our investigation that would point to the North Koreans: We don’t see those data points. So if they’ve got them, they should share some of them at least with the community and make a more convincing case.”

Bottom line: the hacker was a disgruntled employee, and the leaked email situation was promptly used by studio execs to dupe the idiot public into believing it was their sworn patriotic duty to watch a failed comedic flop, generating revenues of over $20 million for what would have been a total dud. Which is why expect none of this to get any media coverage.

In the meantime, Obama almost launched another war over yet another video. So generally par for the course, bad pun intended.

The humiliation, however, is that not only did North Korea troll Obama, it officially got the upper hand. End result, at least someone is having a laugh.



TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hacking; northkorea; sony
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To: Gaffer
Obama is a childish ass behind closed doors, throwing tantrums and yelling
at his staff in their faces. Just like Hillary does. You can bet his staff
has had conversations with the FBI and all their employees, or shall we say "memos".

This whole admin is a cover up cluster F. How much shredding will be done
before he leaves office? Look at the lessons from the IRS scandal and they
now understand how much deeper they need to go for cover.

21 posted on 12/30/2014 8:22:37 AM PST by MaxMax (Pay Attention and you'll be pissed off too! FIRE BOEHNER, NOW!)
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To: dfwgator

I agree! Prez Zero’s advisors have some explaining to do.

What a bunch of bureaucratic idiots.

I am kind of glad that Sony got screwed over. The Hollywood ELITE deserved to!


22 posted on 12/30/2014 8:25:42 AM PST by BobNative
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To: dfwgator

Either Obama and the FBI were suckered in by Sony...or they are complicit in this whole scam. Either way, Obama and the FBI don’t come off looking too good.


23 posted on 12/30/2014 8:25:45 AM PST by Cowboy Bob (They are called "Liberals" because the word "parasite" was already taken.)
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To: MaxMax

Understood and agree. However, I am rightly pissed at the FBI, CIA, NSA and those agencies for not having the stones to ‘out’ his ass. A real patriot would do whatever it took to inform the American people of what that maniac is doing.


24 posted on 12/30/2014 8:26:11 AM PST by Gaffer
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To: SeekAndFind

Obozo been PWND...................


25 posted on 12/30/2014 8:26:25 AM PST by Red Badger (If you compromise with evil, you just get more evil..........................)
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To: b4its2late
I worked for Sony 1988-1994 and again from 2002-2008. There is a lot of difficulty marrying a company which produces highly innovative quality electronic products with one which produces entertainment. When you throw all the cultures of the world into the mix, it unbelievably complicates things even further.

Add a CEO who has little background in either world and is mostly skilled at schmoozing and brown nosing because of a novelty or PC factor (first foreign CEO of a Japanese company) and you have a recipe for a disaster of exactly this kind of thing.

I'm very grateful that Sony sold our part of the company to an outside group without this sort of recipe.

26 posted on 12/30/2014 8:26:30 AM PST by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Cowboy Bob

Obama doesn’t get ‘suckered’. He IS ‘suck’.


27 posted on 12/30/2014 8:27:01 AM PST by Gaffer
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To: MaxMax

I was JUST listening to Glenn Beck radio show and they had someone, I think a former security advisor to Cheney, who said with almost 100% certainty NK was behind this.

Who are we to believe?


28 posted on 12/30/2014 8:33:29 AM PST by nikos1121
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To: nikos1121

the FBI or CIA can’t even determine where OBama was born?


29 posted on 12/30/2014 8:34:08 AM PST by nikos1121
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To: Vigilanteman

Glad you’re out of the mess too!


30 posted on 12/30/2014 9:01:35 AM PST by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: SeekAndFind
"Guardians of Peace"

"G.O.P."

Get it?

31 posted on 12/30/2014 9:31:12 AM PST by bassmaner (Hey commies: I am a' white male, and I am guilty of NOTHING! Sell your 'white guilt' elsewhere.)
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To: grania
How about the guy who played the president in Idiocracy?

No, the guy who played the Devil in The Bible tv series.

32 posted on 12/30/2014 9:39:19 AM PST by Defiant (How does a President reverse the actions of a dictator? An initial transition may be needed.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Guess of the week


33 posted on 12/30/2014 9:40:19 AM PST by Dawggie
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To: SeekAndFind

On Twitchy the other day they had a thread quoting tweets from Norm MacDonald (a comedian for anyone who isn’t familiar with him) - he was insistent that it must be a disgruntled workers. He said words to the effect of: Countries just don’t do stuff like this.


34 posted on 12/30/2014 9:46:26 AM PST by jocon307
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To: dfwgator

So do the geniuses at the FBI.


35 posted on 12/30/2014 9:47:08 AM PST by clintonh8r ( BRILLIANT, WITTY (but incendiary)TAG LINE REMOVED BY MODERATORS.)
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To: dfwgator

Sure, but the usurper got to try out his new fancy internet kill switch. Last week, NK. Next week, the US.


36 posted on 12/30/2014 11:00:07 AM PST by bgill (CDC site, "we still do not know exactly how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: SaveFerris

“Revenge is a dish served better cold.” Shakespeare {I think}


37 posted on 12/30/2014 11:56:49 AM PST by jayrunner
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To: MaxMax; Gaffer
Obama is a childish ass behind closed doors, throwing tantrums and yelling at his staff in their faces. Just like Hillary does.

Then one viral YouTube video should have finished him off in the Fall of 2012. You can't tell me someone in the FBI is unable to make that happen, so these government agencies have to be benefiting somehow from Obama's continued tenure in office.

38 posted on 12/31/2014 6:30:00 AM PST by Mr. Jeeves (Heteropatriarchal Capitalist)
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To: Mr. Jeeves
We'll know after he's out of office. Right now the MSM is soft-hacking away
into this admins shortcomings. How deep they'll go and how far is yet to
be determined. Most likely a book.
39 posted on 12/31/2014 11:03:36 AM PST by MaxMax (Pay Attention and you'll be pissed off too! FIRE BOEHNER, NOW!)
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