FBI conclusively links North Korea to Sony hack

The Obama administration says it's determined the North Korean government was behind a devastating hacking attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The FBI announcement Friday is the first official statement blaming the isolated country for the cyber-attack.

In the statement, federal officials say they found similarities between the tools used in the Sony attack and previous hacks linked to North Korea.

Administration officials had previously declined to openly blame North Korea but said they were weighing various options for a response.

The break-in resulted in the disclosure of tens of thousands of leaked emails and other materials and escalated to terrorist threats that promoted Sony to cancel the Christmas release of the movie "The Interview." The comedy is about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.