Obama vows U.S. response to North Korea over Sony cyberattack

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to respond to a devastating cyberattack on Sony Pictures that he blamed onNorth Korea, and scolded the Hollywood studio for caving in to what he described as a foreign dictator imposing censorship in America.

Obama said the cyberattack caused a lot of damage to Sony but the company should not have let itself be intimidated into halting the public release of "The Interview," a lampoon portraying the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"We will respond," Obama told an end-of-year news conference. "We'll respond proportionally, and we'll respond in a place and time and manner that we choose."

Earlier, the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced it had determined that North Korea was behind the hacking of Sony, saying Pyongyang's actions fell "outside the bounds of acceptable state behavior."

Obama said North Korea appeared to have acted alone. Washington began consultations with Japan, China, South Koreaand Russia seeking their assistance in reining in North Korea.

Japan and South Korea vowed to cooperate. China, North Korea's only major ally, has yet to respond but a Beijing-run newspaper said "The Interview" was not a movie for Hollywood and U.S. society to be proud of.   Read More

Obama Vows Response to Sony Cyberattack   nytimes