US Seeks China's Help Against North Korean Cyberattacks

An anonymous reader writes The United States has declined an offer by North Korea for a joint investigation into the hacking of Sony Pictures and asked China to help block cyber attacks. "We have discussed this issue with the Chinese to share information, express our concerns about this attack, and to ask for their cooperation," a senior administration official said. "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." China has so far seemed less than sympathetic: "Any civilized world will oppose hacker attacks or terror threats. But a movie like The Interview, which makes fun of the leader of an enemy of the U.S., is nothing to be proud of for Hollywood and U.S. society," said an editorial in The Global Times, a tabloid sister paper to China's official The People's Daily. "No matter how the U.S. society looks at North Korea and Kim Jong Un, Kim is still the leader of the country. The vicious mocking of Kim is only a result of senseless cultural arrogance."

Comments

"Cultural arrogance"

[Anonymous Coward]

The irony is more than a little thick.

Re:"Cultural arrogance"

[ArcadeMan]

It's not just China, all the other countries think the U.S.A. is arrogant.

Re:"Cultural arrogance"

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, maybe we should have jailed Charlie Chaplain for mocking Hitler
Would that appeasement have delayed ww2?

Re:"Cultural arrogance"

[AmiMoJo]

The Chinese do have a point here. First the US attacks other countries with cyber weapons like Struxnet and hacking on a quite astounding scale (thanks for informing us, Snowden). Then it gets in a huff when others attack its movie industry, and tries to take the moral high ground.

They also have a point about insulting the leaders of other countries. Obviously in the west we have no problem with it, we do it all the time and to our own people. Considering the delicate nature of the relationship between North Korea and the US making this kind of film doesn't seem like a very smart move. Yes, freedom of speech and all that, but free speech is not free from consequences. Expecting the North Koreans not to react, expecting it not to affect the US-DPRK relationship is naive at best.

Re:"Cultural arrogance"

[MightyMartian]

So we should burn any movie script that dares insult some violent tyrant, lest they get upset? Should we also stop publishing reports on said tyrants? Just how much would you like the West to appease the likes of Kim Jong-Un?

Re:"Cultural arrogance"

[AchilleTalon]

It still doesn't make it a product of the government. BTW, I would like to have some serious source behind this claim of yours.

Re:"Cultural arrogance"

[cold fjord]

The White House explicitly asked for the execution of the NK leader to be retained in the film.

Didn't happen.

Re:"Cultural arrogance"

[cold fjord]

I see the Committee For Perpetual Rage Against America is hard at work again, and one of its prominent spokesmen has released a statement. Let's take a look at it.

Yes, freedom of speech and all that, but free speech is not free from consequences. Expecting the North Koreans not to react, expecting it not to affect the US-DPRK relationship is naive at best.

So you're suggesting that North Korea doesn't like to get treated the same way it treats others?

North Korea blows up White House in propaganda video - Mar 19, 2013

The Chinese do have a point here.

The Chinese? The same People's Republic of China that is actively trying to steal land, sea, and resources from its neighbors while the US is helping China's neighbors defend themselves? Those neighbors might have a different opinion.

First the US attacks other countries with cyber weapons like Struxnet ...

You mean Iran's illicit nuclear weapons program? So you prefer a shooting war then, with nuclear weapons?

Then it gets in a huff when others attack its movie industry, and tries to take the moral high ground.

You're comparing a comedy movie to nuclear weapons? Do we all need to fear the coming HarHarmageddon? You don't think that is a little unhinged, do you?

They also have a point about insulting the leaders of other countries.

We've already seen that North Korea long ago showed propaganda featuring the destruction of the White House with the implication of killing the US President. Will you now turn your complaints against North Korea? I suspect not, your perpetual grievance is with the US, you only need the cause of the moment.

Considering the delicate nature of the relationship between North Korea and the US making this kind of film doesn't seem like a very smart move.

North Korea considers itself at war with much of the rest of the world, and technically they are right. But even given that, and the previously demonstrated North Korean propaganda, are you claiming that the North Koreans are dumb too with that statement? Do you think that might be risky?

"We didn't do it. Shutup or we'll do it again."

[JoshuaZ]

North Korea's response seems to be "We didn't do it. Shutup or we'll do it again." See for example the quotes listed at http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/21/world/asia/north-korea-us-sony/index.html?hpt=hp_c2. After saying that they didn't do it, North Korea then says that:

The DPRK has already launched the toughest counteraction. Nothing is more serious miscalculation than guessing that just a single movie production company is the target of this counteraction. Our target is all the citadels of the U.S. imperialists who earned the bitterest grudge of all Koreans.

They then go on to say that their soldiers along with the hackers in question are sharpening their bayonets. North Korea seems to want to have it both ways: claiming that they didn't do it, but wanting everyone to take their threats seriously like they did. At this point, there really shouldn't be substantial doubt that North Korea is responsible. The only question is what the proper response is.

Re:"We didn't do it. Shutup or we'll do it again."

[AmiMoJo]

The article you linked to doesn't have any references, and sounds like it is based on an extremely poor translation. Looking at the official DPRK news agency, they don't seem to mention it: http://www.kcna.kp/kcna.user.a...

What the do say is that if they were to retaliate it wouldn't be a terrorist attack on innocent movie-goers, it would be a military strike on the leadership. That seems to match what the badly translated CNN statement says, i.e. that they wouldn't attack some random corporation or civilians, they would attack the leadership who they hold responsible.

The entire narrative of the DPRK is based on this idea that the majority of Americans are innocent, if deluded, and should be freed from the control of their masters. Without going in to how close to the mark that might actually be, it's basically a reflection of the US narrative on regime change.

Re:"We didn't do it. Shutup or we'll do it again."

[dj245]

The article you linked to doesn't have any references, and sounds like it is based on an extremely poor translation. Looking at the official DPRK news agency, they don't seem to mention it: http://www.kcna.kp/kcna.user.a...

What the do say is that if they were to retaliate it wouldn't be a terrorist attack on innocent movie-goers, it would be a military strike on the leadership. That seems to match what the badly translated CNN statement says, i.e. that they wouldn't attack some random corporation or civilians, they would attack the leadership who they hold responsible.

The entire narrative of the DPRK is based on this idea that the majority of Americans are innocent, if deluded, and should be freed from the control of their masters. Without going in to how close to the mark that might actually be, it's basically a reflection of the US narrative on regime change.

We are deluded. There isnt a shred of evidence tying the DPRK to this hacking and yet they get all the blame. The movie was filmed in Fall 2013, but there were no statements from the DPRK until June 2014. They really arent the kind of people to miss out on a threatening press release if given even the slightest opportunity. Their press bureau literally salivates a this kind of thing. They also rarely lie. Huge exaggerations? Sure. But not lies. So it seems reasonable they didnt hear about the movie until June when official announcements and trailers started coming out

Meanwhile, the hackers apparently got into Sony's systems over a year ago. They first asked for money, then only later started talking about The Interview and wanting it pulled. The broken english used in their communications is not consistent with a Korean speaker. DPRK citizens speaking english is pretty obvious- they only have a small number of schools which teach it, and without many native english speakers, the teachers are very consistent.

We need to back up a little and reask the question of who did it. The answer might be even more interesting that the line we are being fed.

Re:"We didn't do it. Shutup or we'll do it again."

[dj245]

Um, have you ever thought that maybe the reason there wasn't any response until June 2014 was because the movie wasn't hyped until then? Do you really think there is someone deep in the bowels of Pyongyang scraping TMZ looking for any hints of a movie that may not be portraying North Korea in a glowing fashion?

That's exactly my point. Why would North Korea hack Sony 6 months before they were aware of such a movie? Sony has pissed off a huge number of people, especially technically-minded people. The DPRK is just a convenient scapegoat.

Cultural differences

[gman003]

In China (and most east-asian cultures), you never disrespect rulers. It simply is not done, and they see it as a grave insult to the entire nation to do so.

In west-european and north-american cultures, particularly the US, everyone is a fair target for mockery. We mock Kim Jong-eun because he does things worth making fun of. We mocked Hitler because he did things worth making fun of, and we continue to do so. We also mocked Obama, Bush, Clinton... we still regularly mock Nixon, just because it's still funny. Britain makes fun of Cameron, and to a lesser extent, the Royal Family. We have entire industries based around making a mockery of our political leaders, and we would be insulted if you asked us to stop.

The only ones we do not mock are those who do absolutely nothing and are of no significance whatsoever. It would be a greater insult for us to NOT satirize them, because that says we don't give a single shit about them, that they are not even worthy of our derision.

Re:Cultural differences

[cascadingstylesheet]

In China (and most east-asian cultures), you never disrespect rulers. It simply is not done, and they see it as a grave insult to the entire nation to do so.

In west-european and north-american cultures, particularly the US, everyone is a fair target for mockery.

Well, almost everyone is a fair target. The current occupant of the White House is only criticized or mocked by racists, we are told by the best and brightest.

US President always cast in bright light too..not.

[Vegan Cyclist]

Riiiiiight.... This really illustrates the double standard and opposition to freedom of expression by Chinese leaders. Hollywood has had the US president appear as all sorts of unsavoury characters, from an utter buffoon to corrupt in numerous films and tv series. (As well as other Western allies, like the UK Prime Minister.) You don't see China complaining about that... It's not 'senseless cultural ignorance', it's just the sense of humour from a few writers. Maybe Chinese leaders should investigate their own senseless cultural ignorance too. Their wilful, state-enforced ignorance is just about as senseless as these films.

Re:I've seen plenty of those...

[MightyMartian]

We could make him so fat he damages his own joints... Damn, he even beat us to that bit of parody.

why should we even do anything?

[nimbius]

Seriously. Sony pictures is a subsidiary of a Japanese company, shouldnt the japanese government do something? North Korea has patently denied having a hand in the hacks or the threats against theatres, so shouldnt we work with them as theyre the victim here? This is a seriously disproportionate level of concern for whats basically been a pretty positive release. We found out studios are maliciously litigating google by bribing attorney generals, so who knows what other nefarious things theyre doing. Or is this all just ideological posturing on the part of an american government thats struggling to do something, anything, to prove its international policy is still relevant or meaningful.