U.S. charges programmer working for North Korea with Sony hack, other cyberattacks

Eric Tucker, The Associated Press</span>
Published Thursday, September 6, 2018 10:43AM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, September 6, 2018 12:48PM EDT

The U.S. Justice Department has charged a computer programmer working on behalf of the North Korean government with the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014, along with the massive Wannacry ransomware attack last year and an $81 million theft from a bank in Bangladesh.

The department identifies the programmer as Park Jin Hyok.

Assistant Attorney General John Demers says it was one of the most complex cybercriminal investigations conducted by the department.

This is a breaking news update. Our earlier story follows.

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department is preparing to announce criminal charges in connection with the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014, a U.S. government official familiar with the case said Thursday.

Authorities are charging a North Korean who is believed to have operated out of China, according to the official, who wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the matter before the department's announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

A Sony spokeswoman declined comment.

The U.S. government has previously said that North Korea was responsible for the cyberattack, which resulted in the disclosure of tens of thousands of leaked emails and other materials.

The Justice Department in recent years has charged hackers from China, Iran and Russia in hopes of publicly shaming other countries for sponsoring cyberattacks on U.S. corporations.

In 2014, for instance, the Obama administration charged five Chinese military hackers with a series of digital break-ins at American companies, and last year, the Justice Department charged Russian hackers with an intrusion at Yahoo Inc.

U.S. officials believed the Sony hack was retribution for "The Interview," a comedy film that starred Seth Rogen and James Franco and centred on a plot to assassinate North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. Sony cancelled the release of the film amid threats to moviegoers.

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