U.S. officials say North Korea was behind Sony hacking attack

U.S. officials have linked North Korea to the hacking of Sony Pictures, which has lead to the release of thousands of documents and, ultimately, a movie release getting cancelled.

Senior administration officials confirmed to The New York Times and NBC News that the communist state is behind the attack.

The Times’ sources said that the White House has not decided how to respond to the attack or if it will consider it a cyberterrorism move. It also isn’t clear what the White House could do to punish North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, without actually revealing how the officials linked the country to the attack.

Just moments ago, Sony cancelled the Christmas Day release of The Interview, which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as Americans sent to North Korea to assassinate Kim. That move came after several major theater chains pulled the movie off their schedule.

Over the past 48 hours, there has been a sense of anxiety hanging over Hollywood, since the latest message from the hackers - who called themselves the Guardians of Peace - threatened theaters that would show the movie. That threatening message included a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks.

“The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001,” that message read. “We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.”

image of SPE co-chairman Amy Pascal courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com