NSA director points finger at North Korea in Sony hack

The director of the National Security Agency (NSA) cited evidence Thursday tying the hack of Sony Entertainment to North Korea, a case the U.S. government has made for several months.

Adm. Michael Rogers told a Canadian security conference that it became clear the reclusive regime was behind the attack after the NSA analyzed the software used to breach Sony’s network.

The NSA also came to its conclusion in the process of creating systems to counter hackers, Rogers said, according to Reuters.

“We ultimately ended up generating the signatures to recognise the activity … used against Sony,” Rogers reportedly said.

“From the time the malware left North Korea to the time it got to Sony’s headquarters in California, it crossed four different commanders’ lines or areas in the U.S. construct.”

The government has insisted that North Korea was behind the cyberattack despite skepticism from some security experts and denials from North Korean leaders.

Hackers breached Sony’s systems in the lead-up to the premiere of “The Interview,” a film depicting a comical plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un. The cyberattack was followed by threats to physically attack any theater that showed the film.

Rogers did not give any more specifics on how the NSA came to its conclusion that the hack was the work of North Korea. Some experts have postulated that a disgruntled ex-Sony employee might be to blame.