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Obama: North Korea Attack Was ‘Cyber-Vandalism,’ Not An ‘Act Of War’ [VIDEO]

Alex Griswold Media Reporter
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President Barack Obama said the hacking of Sony by North Korea was “cyber-vandalism”– not an act of war — on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday morning. (VIDEO: Newt Gingrich: North Korea Hacking ‘An Act Of War’)

HOST CANDY CROWLEY: Do you think this was an act of war by North Korea?

OBAMA: No, I don’t think it was an act of war. I think it was an act of cyber-vandalism that was very costly, very expensive. We take it very seriously. We will respond proportionately, as I said. But, you know, we’re going to be in an environment in this new world where so much is digitalized that both state and non-state actors are going to have the capacity to disrupt our lives in all sort of ways.

We have to guard against that. We have to treat it like we would treat, you know, the incidents of crime in our country. When other countries are sponsoring it, we take it very seriously. But that’s something that I think we can manage through as long as public [and] private sector is working together.

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