US Sanctions North Korean Hacker for Sony Hack

On Thursday, September 6, the US Treasury Department sanctioned a North Korean computer programmer and the company he worked for. This individual and the company have been accused of carrying out a cyber attack on Sony in 2014 and an international cyber attack in 2017 using the ransomware 'WannaCry'. The US Treasury accused Pak Jin Kyok and the Chosun Expo company of participating in cyber sabotage activities and stated that they are connected to the North Korean government. The Treasury added: 'They have participated in extensive activities to undermine cybersecurity using computer networks against targets outside North Korea on behalf of that country's regime.' Simultaneously, the US Department of Justice has also charged this individual for the cyber attack on Sony and the UK’s Public Health Department. The complaint published on Thursday also accuses this hacker of participating in the cyber attack on Bangladesh Bank in 2016, during which $81 million was stolen. It is unclear whether the North Korean government will hand this individual over to US law enforcement and judicial authorities. The US Department of Justice added that investigations are ongoing and include incidents that occurred in 2018. The cyber attack on Sony led to the exposure of tens of thousands of emails. The US government had previously stated that North Korea was behind this attack. The US believes that North Korea orchestrated the cyber attack on Sony in retaliation for the comedy film 'The Interview', which centers around the assassination of the North Korean leader. Sony even canceled the film's release due to threats that could affect the film's audience.