Sony / Columbia(WASHINGTON) — The United States has asked for the cooperation of China to help combat the destructive cyber-attack on U.S. information systems the government says was carried out by North Korea. The attack has created fears of attacks in the U.S. and caused Sony to pull the Dec. 25 release of The Interview.
“We have discussed this issue with the Chinese to share information, express our concerns about this attack, and to ask for their cooperation. In our cybersecurity discussions, both China and the United States have expressed the view that conducting destructive attacks in cyberspace is outside the norms of appropriate cyber behavior,” a senior administration official told ABC News on Saturday.
In a rare official statement, released Friday, the FBI blamed North Korea as the force behind the cyber-attack.
“North Korea’s actions were intended to inflict significant harm on a U.S. business and suppress the right of American citizens to express themselves,” the statement said. “Such acts of intimidation fall outside the bounds of acceptable state behavior.”
President Obama has promised a response, saying the North Koreans have caused significant damage.
“We will respond,” Obama said. “We will respond proportionally, and we’ll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose.”
The decision to seek help from China comes a day after the president said Sony made a “mistake” and wishes Sony had spoken with him before deciding to cancel the planned release of the movie.
“Sony is a corporation. It suffered significant damage. There were threats against its employees. I’m sympathetic to the concerns that they faced. Having said all that, yes I think they made a mistake,” Obama said.
Sony says it is actively surveying alternatives to release the movie on a different platform, as it is still their hope that those who want to see the movie with have the opportunity to do so.
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