The FBI have confirmed what was already thought by many in law enforcement and the entertainment industry; North Korea, or at least hackers based in North Korea were responsible for the "Sony Hack" that resulted in the cancelled release of Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy, The Interview and the release of private information from the company. 

They said:

As a result of our investigation, and in close collaboration with other U.S. Government departments and agencies, the FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions. While the need to protect sensitive sources and methods precludes us from sharing all of this information, our conclusion is based, in part, on the following:

After discovering the intrusion into its network, SPE requested the FBI’s assistance. Since then, the FBI has been working closely with the company throughout the investigation. Sony has been a great partner in the investigation, and continues to work closely with the FBI. Sony reported this incident within hours, which is what the FBI hopes all companies will do when facing a cyber attack. Sony’s quick reporting facilitated the investigators’ ability to do their jobs, and ultimately to identify the source of these attacks.

Technical analysis of the data deletion malware used in this attack revealed links to other malware that the FBI knows North Korean actors previously developed. For example, there were similarities in specific lines of code, encryption algorithms, data deletion methods, and compromised networks.

The FBI also observed significant overlap between the infrastructure used in this attack and other malicious cyber activity the U.S. Government has previously linked directly to North Korea. For example, the FBI discovered that several Internet protocol (IP) addresses associated with known North Korean infrastructure communicated with IP addresses that were hardcoded into the data deletion malware used in this attack.

Separately, the tools used in the SPE attack have similarities to a cyber attack in March of last year against South Korean banks and media outlets, which was carried out by North Korea.

There is still no word if we'll ever get to see The Interview. The $40 million movie was also co-written and directed by Rogen, after he and pal Evan Goldberg made hit comedy, This is the End, at Sony last year. 

Hollywood stars have heavily criticized the decision to pull but the movie, saying it sets a dangerous precedent. 

The film was due for release on Christmas Day in the US.

Via The Wrap