Today the FBI made what we all knew official, confirming that North Korea was behind the cyber attacks that have crippled and embarrassed Sony Pictures. Here is part of the statement:
"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."
The attacks which led to Sony internal emails, film scripts, salaries, and other damaging information being leaked to the public, were to force the studio to halt release of the comedy, The Interview, for its depiction of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un being assassination in rather glorious fashion. The film was taken off the schedule after violent threats were made, causing quite the outcry from Hollywood and others critical of the decision. While it looks like the film won't ever see the light of day, if it were to happen it seems the hacker group is of two minds on how to react.
USA Today reported that Guardians of Peace released a statement saying it was okay for Sony to release the James Franco/Seth Rogen comedy, as long as certain edits were made....
This is GOP.
You have suffered through enough threats.
We lift the ban.
The Interview may release now.
But be carful.
September 11 may happen again if you don't comply with the rules.
Rule #1: no death scene of Kim Jong Un being too happy
Rule #2: do not test us again
Rule #3: if you make anything else, we will be here ready to fight
What's interesting is this is the polar opposite to a message they reportedly sent to Sony execs stating they were "very wise" to cancel The Interview, but now the film needed to be done away with utterly...
"Now we want you never let the movie released, distributed or leaked in any form of, for instance, DVD or piracy. And we want everything related to the movie, including its trailers, as well as its full version down from any website hosting them immediately."
The conflicting messages have left some confused about what the next step could be for Sony, who some have estimated could lose more than $75M on the film. Meanwhile, President Obama has come out against Sony's decision to give in to the terrorist threats, saying...
"I wish they had spoken to me first. I would have told them do not get into a pattern in which you're intimidated by these kinds of criminal attacks." He added, "I am sympathetic to the concerns that they face. Having said all that, yes I think they made a mistake."
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