# Why is the US government the one considering retaliation against North Korea for hacking Sony **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551 "2014-12-18T04:42:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/1 "2014-12-18T04:42:43Z")
> **[Sony hack updates: North Korea has more Internet outages](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-sony-hack-daily-updates-20141216-htmlstory.html)** > > "The Interview," a comedy about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is being released online Christmas Eve and in theaters Christmas Day even as fallout from a cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment continues to... Sony is a Japanese company, why aren’t the Japanese also planning any response? I doubt anyone does anything, I just don’t get why it falls solely on the US to mount a response (if one is forthcoming). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/2 "2014-12-18T05:05:02Z")
The US has defense treaties with Japan. Its brings up the question is a limited cyber attack by a nation an act of war? I’m not sure thats been formally decided. Would the location of the computers matter? AFAIK this was a Hollywood production, American employees and American facilities. Sony is just the foreign company that owns the operation. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/3 "2014-12-18T05:12:23Z")
Sony Pictures Entertainment is based in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/4 "2014-12-18T05:32:31Z")
NY News Editorial feels that the US and Sony knuckled under too easily. > **[After Sony pulls 'The Interview' over hack, the score is terrorists 1,...](https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/editorial-terrorists-1-hollywood-0-article-1.2049167)** > > The White House and Sony must each grow a pair. Sony should start by releasing 'The Interview' via the Internet, free for all to see. I hope there is a clear response that indicates we take this seriously. I’m not sure what can be done. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/5 "2014-12-18T09:18:55Z")
IMHO I think that the US is offering support to learn more about how the hack was accomplished. Sony is not the Japanese government and I doubt that treaties would come into effect. I would be surprised if Sony and the US were the only entities that have people working together on this since it was reported that there was no security software that could have stopped this attack. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/6 "2014-12-18T10:09:59Z")
It was an attack on US territory. Admittedly, location can be a hazy thing these days (where were the servers?) but I think the common sense interpretation of “location” would be where the company is headquartered. [Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_Entertainment) is an American subsidiary of Sony and is based in Culver City, California. Of course for all I know SPE Inc. is actually headquartered in the Caymans or elsewhere, but that’s a legal fiction and the main offices are physically located here and as far as I know the servers and their content are “controlled” from here. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/7 "2014-12-18T11:27:13Z")
Does the US have an obligation to respond to every attack on a corporation that has a ‘something’ based in the US? Is an attack on a corporation considered an attack on a US territory? ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/8 "2014-12-18T11:58:47Z")
Just a wild guess, but when a crime happens on U.S. soil, we generally do get involved in the response. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/9 "2014-12-18T11:58:50Z")
Do we not respond in any way? There have been terroristic threats against American citizens attending American movie theaters. I don’t think anyone is advocating a physical attack of some kind, but surely we can’t just shrug and let it pass without doing anything. There are economic and political ways to respond. Arguments about whether or not this was \*technically \*an attack on the US are hand-waving sophistry. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/10 "2014-12-18T12:24:21Z")
> [@Boogly](#): > > Does the US have an obligation to respond to every attack on a corporation that has a ‘something’ based in the US? Is an attack on a corporation considered an attack on a US territory? There is also that whole threatening terrorist attacks on theaters thing. It goes beyond a few embarrassing emails. ---
**Author:** ![Boogly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Boogly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boogly)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/11 "2014-12-18T12:32:59Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There is also that whole threatening terrorist attacks on theaters thing. It goes beyond a few embarrassing emails. My post was not concerned with the physical threat to theaters. I was asking about the obligation for the US to respond to respond to hack attacks against a corporation that may ties to US territory. If theaters were to be bombed I reserve my right as a grunt to respond how I see fit; To locate, close with, and destroy the enemy, by fire and maneuver, or repel the enemy assault by fire and close combat. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/12 "2014-12-18T12:48:47Z")
> [@Boogly](#): > > My post was not concerned with the physical threat to theaters. > > I was asking about the obligation for the US to respond to respond to hack attacks against a corporation that may ties to US territory. I would say that, at the very least, the US government should be **seen** to do something. Corporations are sources of income and investment in the country that hosts them. If a corporation with ties to US territory (because they are based in the US, like Sony Pictures, or because they are important for the US economy, like, possibly, Toyota motors) is hacked and damaged and the US government is perceived as not bothering to react to that… Corporations may become scared and they might reduce their presence in the US, or disinvest completely if things are perceived as being too problematic. This is something that goes completely against the interests of the US – those corporations are, at the end, a non-negligible source of money for the country. Of course, the **likelihood** of something like that happening is low --very low. However, it never hurts for the government of the US to be seen as doing something about it. One of the things that the US government could do, if NK is finally proven to be behind the hacking, is to slap NK with extra sanctions or something. Although I don’t see what _more_ can be done in that front 😛 It is not as if NK apparently cares for whatever sanctions are imposed on it. Besides, investigating the situation and finding out exactly how the hackers infiltrated Sony Pictures can help understanding how hackers might try and infiltrate more critical places (like electricity grids, communication networks and the like). And if this is the work of NK, it would be paramount to really _understand_ in detail how they did it, because there are non-negligible chances that NK would _love_ to try and hack into those critical places mentioned above, and understanding the Sony Pictures hacking would help prevent the hacking of more serious infrastructure. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/13 "2014-12-18T13:06:50Z")
It is really quite shocking to reflect on the power NK has just thrown away. They have tipped their hand to an incredibly powerful weapon for no greater gain than a slap to the hand of someone who was about to make fun of their leader. The arrogance and waste are a true measure of just how sick and twisted the entire society has become. Boogly and JoseB are right. If it’s true that there is no security software which could have defended against this attack, they could have done untold damage. They could have coordinated attacks on many large corporate and defense and infrastructure networks all at once. The mind boggles at the senselessness of their revelation. I picture a sort of anti-Rasputin, a humble hero quietly stirring up outrage at the coming humiliation and rousing the NK leadership to show their hand in this really rather ineffectual manner. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/14 "2014-12-18T13:26:57Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > I would say that, at the very least, the US government should be **seen** to do something. > > Corporations are sources of income and investment in the country that hosts them. If a corporation with ties to US territory (because they are based in the US, like Sony Pictures, or because they are important for the US economy, like, possibly, Toyota motors) is hacked and damaged and the US government is perceived as not bothering to react to that… Corporations may become scared and they might reduce their presence in the US, or disinvest completely if things are perceived as being too problematic. This is something that goes completely against the interests of the US – those corporations are, at the end, a non-negligible source of money for the country. This. Part of the purpose of a government is to facilitate commerce. Roads, regulations, defense against piracy (physical and intellectual), and so on. To not respond is to fall short of its duty. > [@Boogly](#): > > Does the US have an obligation to respond to every attack on a corporation that has a ‘something’ based in the US? Is an attack on a corporation considered an attack on a US territory? If it’s attack by individuals **without** the backing of a foreign government, then it’s a crime to be investigated by law enforcement agencies,with justice administered through the legal system. If it’s an attack by individuals acting **with** the blessing/support of a foreign government, then yes, I would say that’s an attack on US territory, something beyond the ken of the US justice system and worthy of a foreign-policy-based response. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/15 "2014-12-18T13:37:14Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Do we not respond in any way? There have been terroristic threats against American citizens attending American movie theaters. When you officially acknowledge a terror threat and cave in to the demand, you lose. We’ve known this for decades, but it is astounding how often we obey anyway. We are a nation of bitches, and we are owned by the money. For as much trash as gets talked about N. Korea, they at least know where our soft spot is, and how to hit it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/16 "2014-12-18T13:49:28Z")
> [@Boogly](#): > > My post was not concerned with the physical threat to theaters. > > I was asking about the obligation for the US to respond to respond to hack attacks against a corporation that may ties to US territory. > > If theaters were to be bombed I reserve my right as a grunt to respond how I see fit; > > To locate, close with, and destroy the enemy, by fire and maneuver, or repel the enemy assault by fire and close combat. As far as I know there is nothing in the US code obligating the government to act in any particular way. However it is not a good idea for our government to allow foreign governments to screw with commerce. As for the rest of your post, have fun. I’m getting too old for that shit. ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/17 "2014-12-18T13:51:35Z")
This whole thing smells very, very fishy to me … ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/18 "2014-12-18T14:56:39Z")
Japan and North Korea are currently negotiating the release of about a dozen [Japanese citizens who were kidnapped as early as 1977](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_abductions_of_Japanese_citizens). So the Japanese government is not going to make a public accusation of North Korea. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/19 "2014-12-18T15:00:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The US has defense treaties with Japan… > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Japan and North Korea are currently negotiating the release of about a dozen [Japanese citizens who were kidnapped as early as 1977](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_abductions_of_Japanese_citizens). So the Japanese government is not going to make a public accusation of North Korea. Also, Japan doesn’t have much of a working military to attack NK. Why? We took it away from them after they, y’know, teamed up with Hitler and tried to take over the world. We said hey, we’ll carry the guns from now on. So there is at least some moral responsibility on the US to project Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551/20 "2014-12-18T15:12:40Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > NY News Editorial feels that the US and Sony knuckled under too easily. > [After Sony pulls ‘The Interview’ over hack, the score is terrorists 1, Hollywood 0 – New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/editorial-terrorists-1-hollywood-0-article-1.2049167). Who the hell has ever taken anything seriously that the New York Daily News has put on its editorial page? What’s next, you give us a column from the Weekly World News urging the U.S. to take the threat of Bat Boy more seriously? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-us-government-the-one-considering-retaliation-against-north-korea-for-hacking-sony/707551.md?page=2)