James Clapper Claims That Sony Hack 'The Most Serious Cyberattack On The US Yet'; Which Suggests No Serious Cyberattacks

from the go-on-with-your-day dept

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At a cybersecurity conference at Fordham university, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper apparently claimed that the Sony Hack was "the most serious cyberattack" made to date against the US . If that's true (and it's likely not), then that really kind of undermines all the claims about just how "serious" cyberattacks are to national security. Yes, the Sony Hack was incredibly embarrassing to Sony and some individuals and partners. Yes, it may cost Sony a significant amount of money in cleaning up the mess. But no one died. No serious long-term problems were created by it. No one has to "rebuild" a city. The actual impact of the hack on the day-to-day lives of most people is next to nothing. For years, people like Clapper have been warning of the pending "cyber Pearl Harbor," and if this is the best they've got so far... sorry, but that's just not that serious.At the same event, Clapper apparently insisted not only that he was sure North Korea was behind the hack, but that he knew who ordered it . He also revealed some more info on the (little known) fact that he had traveled to North Korea two weeks before the hack, where he met with the guy he now says is responsible. Marcy Wheeler raises some questions about whether Clapper's trip had something to do with the hack (if it really was done by North Korea).Speaking of which, at the very same event, FBI director James Comey, once again, insisted that North Korea was responsible and claimed that the hackers "got sloppy" and revealed their own IP addresses. It could be that. Or whoever did it could have been slightly more sophisticated, leaving false markers pointing to North Korea. But, as of right now the FBI is sure that sloppiness is a better excuse.Either way, it still seems like much more is being made of the Sony Hack than it deserves. Yes, it was a big hack, and yes, it revealed a ton of private documents that clearly has embarrassed Sony quite a bit. But if the future of war involves embarrassing big companies, rather than killing thousands of people -- I think I'd make that trade off.

Filed Under: cybersecurity, james clapper, odni, sony hack

Companies: sony