The attack on Sony highlights North Korea’s ability to mobilise cyber warfare in support of its foreign policy goals, according to new analysis from Neil Ashdown, Deputy Head of Asia Analysis at IHS Country Risk.
“Even if the attack did not originate within North Korea, the extent to which it is aligned with Pyongyang’s goal of strongly responding to the negative portrayal of the country’s political leadership is indicative of the extent to which North Korea is able to mobilise third parties capable of conducting such attacks.
“In contrast, the threat to conduct physical attacks on cinemas in the US lacks credibility, with North Korea not having demonstrated any capability to engage in such attacks on US soil, and is unlikely to engage in such attacks given the likelihood of a strong punitive response from the US.
The attacks do highlight North Korea’s willingness to deploy cyber warfare capabilities against private companies in foreign countries. In previous cyber attacks attributed to North Korea in 2013, targets included South Korean media organisations and financial institutions. Moreover, the apparent success of the attacks is likely to encourage North Korea or North Korea-aligned groups to use similar tactics in future.