Entertainment Movies U.S. Officials Confirm North Korea Is Behind Sony Hack The hacking prompted Sony Pictures Entertainment to cancel its Christmas release of The Interview By Michele Corriston Published on December 17, 2014 07:15 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Ed Araquel/CTMG; Inset: AP The U.S. government has determined that North Korea is connected to the Sony cyber attack. TIME has confirmed that U.S. intelligence officials have determined the country was behind the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which exposed company information including employees’ emails and salaries. The cyber attack was reportedly in retaliation for its comedy The Interview, which stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as American entertainment journalists on a CIA mission to assassinate real-life dictator Kim Jong-Un. “We have found linkage to the North Korean government,” a source told NBC News. The studio scrapped the movie Wednesday, canceling its Dec. 25 release a day after hackers threatened moviegoers with violence. Federal investigators will confirm North Korea’s involvement in an announcement expected Thursday, according to CNN. But senior administration officials told the New York Times that the White House is still debating the best course of action.