FBI Fingers North Korea for Sony Hack, Obama Promises Response, Laments Cancellation of "The Interview" Release

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that North Korea was behind the hack of Sony Pictures and threats which led to the cancellation of the release of the "The Interview," while President Barack Obama promised that the United States would respond to the attack.

A press release from the FBI outlined the body of evidence the agency has collected that implicates North Korea in the devastation attack.

One key piece of evidence is the fact that computer code used to carry out the attack is similar to other malware that the FBI knows was developed by North Korea. For example, some of the lines of code used in the Sony hack were identical to other hacks that have been traced to North Korea. Encryption algorithms and data method used in the Sony hack also mirrored those previously used by North Korean hackers.

There is also a relationship between physical infrastructure used by the Sony hackers and North Korea. The FBI was able to trace IP addresses used in the attack to IP addresses known to be tied to North Korean digital infrastructure.

The FBI also said tools used in the Sony attack were similar to tools used by North Korea in attacks against South Korean businesses and media organizations last year.

When asked about the appropriateness of Sony's decision not to release "The Interview" during the end of year press conference, President Obama said, "Sony is a corporation, it suffered significant damage, there were threats against its employees, I am sympathetic to the concerns that they faced, having said all that, yes, I think they made a mistake."

The President went on to say that the United States would respond to the North Korean provocation "appropriately," but when asked for more details about such a response, Obama chose to play it close to the vest and did not divulge any more information.