Businesses need to take responsibility for keeping their own secrets. Washington can’t do it for them. Russia and China have been hacking U.S. companies for years without the U.S. coming up with an effective answer. If North Korea attacked Sony in a way guaranteed to bring attention to North Korea, you have to suppose there was a reason. North Korea wants something and, if history is any guide, is likely to get it. For another unsightly truth is that, since the death of Kim Il Sung in 1994, the U.S., China and South Korea have mostly sought to prop up the Kim regime out of fear of what spontaneous reunification would do to South Korea’s economy and Asia’s geopolitical balance.
President Obama was right to be annoyed with Sony for tossing the problem in his lap by canceling the movie’s release. Sony protested that it couldn’t make theaters show “The Interview,” but some theaters were willing and Sony could have released the picture through its Crackle TV app or via its PlayStation Network without fuss.
Sony didn’t because it was worried what other embarrassments hackers might leak. It was worried about more emails giving offense to Angelina Jolie. Mr. Boies did not improve the company’s case with his appearance Sunday on NBC. Sony’s effort to fully offload its own fumble onto U.S. policy makers, possibly as prelude to angling for compensation like the victims of 9/11 received, was starting to border on the disgraceful.
Companies in the future would be smart to ask how their business models contribute to their vulnerability.
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