New York - North Korean websites were back online on Tuesday following a lengthy blackout amid an escalating war of words over the hacking of Sony’s computers.
The US has refused to deny that it was responsible for the shutdown, while China has called reports linking it to the sabotage “irresponsible”.
It came as Sony announced a dramatic U-turn on the spoof film about North Korea at the heart of the cyber war – which will now be released as planned.
The stand-off with the rogue state began when hackers broke into Sony Pictures computers and threatened 9/11-style attacks against cinemas showing The Interview, a comedy about an attempted assassination of despot Kim Jong Un.
Sony cancelled the film’s scheduled launch on Christmas Day, and the FBI blamed Pyongyang for the cyber attack. On Friday, President Barack Obama vowed to respond “in a place and time and manner that we choose”.
Soon afterwards, the blackout began, growing progressively worse and finally taking the whole of North Korea’s limited internet system offline for up to ten hours. South Korea said the North’s official news agency and Rodong Sinmun newspaper went down – but were running again last night, with posts about Kim Jong Un visiting a catfish farm.
North Korean officials did not respond. But yesterday state media compared the US to the Roman Empire, which “was thrown into a dumping ground of history as it collapsed while seeking prosperity through aggression and war”.
The North’s ally China said reports it caused the shutdown had ‘no basis in reality’. China has called for calm after the UN Security Council put the North’s human rights record on its agenda.
Cyber security company Arbor Networks said it had detected denial-of-service attacks, which tie up their target’s internet equipment, against North Korea from Saturday until Monday.
On Monday, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf refused to deny involvement and admitted the US planned to retaliate, saying: “We aren’t going to discuss publicly operational details . . . except to say that as we implement our responses, some will be seen, some may not be seen.”
And on Tuesday, a reporter asked her: “Was the US involved in anything related to the internet shutting down in North Korea?”
She replied evasively: “I would go ask North Korea . . . I leave it to North Korea to talk about if their internet was up, if it wasn’t.”
Last year, the North blamed Seoul and the US for a series of brief internet shutdowns that came as nuclear tensions flared.
The country denies hacking, and has demanded the US work with it to investigate the Sony attack – or face consequences.
Samantha Power, US ambassador to the UN, dismissed this as “the kind of behaviour we have come to expect from a regime that threatened . . . ‘merciless countermeasures’ against the US over a Hollywood comedy”.
Sony’s initial decision to cancel The Interview brought criticism from many who saw it as a blow to free speech. George Clooney said: “We cannot be told we can’t see something by Kim Jong Un, of all f****** people.”
The studio now says it will allow a major US chain to screen it. Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse, which has cinemas in eight states, said it would not bow to threats. A cinema in Atlanta also vowed to show the film and many independent chains may follow. President Obama, who had said giving in to the hackers’ demands was a mistake, welcomed the news. Security experts have rubbished the threats of violence made by the cyber criminals.
However, Sony’s decision to defy the hackers could trigger the release of more damaging internal emails. Its CEO, Michael Lynton, said Sony ‘stood up to those who attempted to suppress free speech’ and had ‘never given up on’ showing the film.
Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League tweeted: “Breaking news: Sony has authorised screenings of The Interview on Christmas Day. We are making shows available within the hour. #Victory.” - Daily Mail