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Citing former U.S. and foreign officials and a
National Security Agency document, the Times said the spy agency
was able to penetrate North Korean systems with the help of
South Korea and other U.S. allies after first tapping into
Chinese networks that connect North Korea to the rest of the
world.
The newspaper quoted officials as saying the program grew into
an effort to place malware that could track many networks and
computers used by hackers in North Korea.
Such activity ultimately proved crucial in persuading President
Barack Obama to implicate the North Koreans in the Sony attack,
the officials told the paper.
It was the first time the United States directly accused another
country of a cyber attack of such magnitude on American soil.
Obama "had no doubt" in this case, a senior U.S. military
official told the Times.
North Korea has described the accusation as "groundless
slander."
Sony's network was crippled by hackers in November as the
company prepared to release "The Interview," a comedy about a
fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The attack was followed by online leaks of unreleased movies and
emails that caused embarrassment to executives and Hollywood
personalities.
U.S. officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Peter Cooney; Editing by Eric Walsh)
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