U.S. struggles for response to Sony hack

The attack creates a thorny situation for the Obama administration, in part because such a breach is not the type of hacking scenario contemplated in the government’s many drills and contingency-planning for cyberattacks from foreign countries

Security officials have long prepared for the possibility of a U.S. utility or other critical infrastructure being incapacitated by foreign hackers, and U.S. companies have tried to guard themselves against hacking, especially when it comes to protecting customers’ data.

The Sony hack, which involved stealing and publicizing embarrassing emails and salary information and destroying hard drives, is a scenario not foreseen by U.S. officials, these people said.