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US cybersecurity officials were convinced North Korea was behind the notorious Sony hack last November because the NSA had secretly infiltrated the hermit kingdoms computer systems years before the Hollywood e-mail raid, according to a new report.

The National Security Agency penetrated North Korean networks in 2010 over concerns the nations digital infrastructure was considered one of the most impenetrable targets on earth, The New York Times reports.

The NSAs classified program placed malware that could trace the workings of North Korean hackers and followed a secretive system that traveled from Chinese and Malaysian networks back into a North Korean intelligence service.

Evidence gathered during the US cyber-surveillance mission convinced President Obama that hackers backed by the North Korean government were responsible for the Sony attacks, the paper said.

The hackers released embarrassing personal e-mails from Sony Pictures bigwigs in an attempt to thwart the release of a movie that lampooned North Korean despot Kim Jong-un.

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NSA hacked North Korea computers in 2010

Home News Security NSA hacked North Korea in 2010 but still failed to spot Sony attack The US had enough insight to blame North Korea. But will sceptics be convinced?

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The National Security Agency (NSA) failed to grasp the seriousness of North Koreas alleged November attack on Sony Pictures as it unfolded despite having penetrated the countrys networks as far back as 2010, a report by the New York Times has suggested.

Judging from the anonymous sources lined up by the newspaper as well as a short Der Spiegel document released from Edward Snowdens cache, the US program was fairly successful at burrowing into the North Korea s cyber-systems from about four years ago, detecting the Chinese and Malaysian networks used by its expanding cyber-army.

From the Spiegel document, it appears that both the US and South Korea were able to implant malware on the mailboxes of specific North Korean officials. The US even detected and hijacked a third-party campaign (most likely by China) that hacked North Korea with great success using a zero day flaw.

As to how the US used intelligence gathered during this period to trace the Sony attacks to North Korea only after the fact, the New York Times is tantalisingly vague. Again, we hit the usual wall.

Fearing the exposure of its methods in a country that remains a black hole for intelligence gathering, American officials have declined to talk publicly about the role the technology played in Washingtons assessment that the North Korean government had ordered the attack on Sony, said the NYT.

Why didnt the US spot the attacks in advance if they had broken into North Koreas systems? In fact it appears they did to some extent but underestimated their seriousness. For instance, the NSA did not know that the attackers had used a spear phishing attack to successfully gain access to the admin account needed to do much of the damage.

The attackers spent two months from mid-September to mid-November roaming around the firms network, plotting their destructive attack in more detail, the newspaper briefings said.

The US even put a name to the Sony attack - Reconnaissance General Bureau commander, Kim Yong-chol, who allegedly oversaw the attacks.

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NSA hacked North Korea in 2010 but still failed to spot Sony attack

TheNational Security Agency-- also known as the NSA -- tapped into North Koreas computer network in 2010, long before the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment in November, the New York Timesreported exclusively. The U.S. was able to pinpoint North Korea as the culprit responsible for the Sony hack since it was familiar with the DPRKs Internet operation.

But the U.S. didnt break into the computer system of Kim Jong Uns government without help. South Korea and other allies aided America, the Times said, citing an NSA document along withformer U.S. and foreign officials.

President Barack Obama blamed North Korea for the Sony hack. He had no doubt North Korea was responsible because the information came through early warning radar, the Times said.

The speed and certainty with which the United States made its determinations about North Korea told you that something was different here -- that they had some kind of inside view, James A. Lewis, acyberwarfareexpert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told the Times. Attributing where attacks come from is incredibly difficult and slow.

When American whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked information about the NSA to media outlets in June 2013, the country had mixed feelings about whether the U.S. government should monitor their personal communications in the search for potential threats, the Washington Post reported Saturday. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released Sunday indicates twice as many Americans are willing to give up their privacy to protect themselves from potential terror threats as those who oppose the surveillance.The study queried 1,003 adults Jan. 12-15. It had a margin of error of 3.5 points.

When it comes to privacy versus protection, young adults are the most confused. They are split with 48 percent saying threats should be investigated and 47 percent saying privacy should be put first. However, when it comes to senior citizens the divide is drastically different: 75 percent of people more than 65 years of age say threats should be examined.

Snowden, who sought asylum in Russia, released documents indicatingChinese spies stole 50 terabytes of data, including information about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Chinese were reportedly able to use data stolen from American intelligence to create "fifth-generation" fighter that could threaten the dominance the U.S. holds in the skies.

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NSA Broke Into North Korea's Internet Before Sony Hack: Report

The National Security Agency hacked North Korea long before Sony Pictures Entertainment was hacked by a group backed by North Korea in November. The evidence gathered during the program helped the U.S. government tie Pyongyang to the attack on the Hollywood studio.

Former officials told the New York Times that the NSA began trying to hack into North Koreas networks in 2010 by breaking into the Chinese networks that link North Korea to the rest of the world. The agency also sifted through links in Malaysia that hackers use and eventually hacked directly into Pyongyang with help from South Korea and other allies.

The NSA program included placing malware into North KOrea networks and computers that their hackers use.

Despite the program, NBC News was told that U.S. intelligence did not have a hint that Sony was a target until Nov. 24, when Sony told the FBI about the attack. Still, these efforts gave the government enough confidence to blame North Korea for the attack in December. President Obama then approved new economic sanctions against North Korea in response.

When NSA director Gen. James Clapper went to North Korea on Nov. 6 to secure the release of two Americans held in North Korea, he actually had dinner in Pyongyang with his counterpart there. However, officials told the Times that he did not mention the Sony attack at that point. An NSA spokesman told the Times that Clapper did not talk about other matters because of the sensitivities surrounding the effort to secure the Americans release.

image of President Barack Obama courtesy of Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com

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NSA hacked North Korea before Sony attacks (Report)

NSA NSA headquarters

How confident is the National Security Agency about its ability to wage cyberwarfare? Enough so that it's bragging about it. A new round of Edward Snowden leaks published by Der Spiegel reveal that the institution has not only been gearing up for a future of digital battles (it asked for $1 billion to improve its cyberattacks back in 2013), but boasts about what it can already do. For example, it touts that it can "drink your milkshake" (There Will Be Blood style) if you dare attack American government computers. When China hacked the Department of Defense in 2009, the NSA not only pinpointed the source of attack, but broke into China's intelligence network and monitored the country's spying efforts. This "fourth party collection," as the NSA calls it, lets the agency find out what's happening without doing all the hard work.

The NSA also makes it a point to use the tools and methods of their attackers against them, and to develop its own attacks against critical systems (like energy grids) in case they're needed. Its agents all that worried about getting caught, either. They regularly cover their tracks, such as by placing data on the servers of "scapegoat" targets to throw people off the scent.

It's not surprising that the NSA would turn the tables on its foes. However, it's willing to use "fourth party" techniques on any country that isn't part of the Five Eyes Alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US), including its allies. And there's a concern that the US is shifting too much of its attention toward offensive capabilities, rather than focusing on defense -- it's hard to claim the moral high ground in cyberwarfare when you're willing and able to inflict serious damage.

Der Spiegel

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NSA brags about turning the tables on cyberwarfare hackers