Obama: Sony Hack Was 'Act Of Cyber-Vandalism'

Barack Obama says the hack is not an act of war but warns North Korea it may be put back on the list of state sponsors of terror.

President Barack Obama says he does not consider the Sony hack an act of war but an act of "cyber-vandalism".

The US is weighing up how to respond to the attack, which prompted Sony to withdraw the movie The Interview, which had been set for release during the holiday season.

The movie, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, parodies North Korea and its leader Kim Jong-Un.

"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," the US President said in a TV interview set for broadcast later on Sunday.

"We take it very seriously. We will respond proportionately."

Speaking to CNN, Mr Obama also said his government was considering putting North Korea back on a US list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

North Korea spent two decades on the list until the Bush administration removed it in 2008 during nuclear negotiations. Some politicians in the US have called for the designation to be restored following the hack.

Only Iran, Sudan, Syria and Cuba remain on the list, which triggers sanctions that limit US aid, defence exports and certain financial transactions.

The US believes that Pyongyang was behind the hack attack, which also involved the embarrassing leak of scores of private emails of Hollywood stars and industry executives.

North Korea insists it had nothing to do with the cyber-attack on Sony and has proposed a joint investigation with the US.

The White House has rejected the idea.

Republican Senator John McCain said the hack was "more than vandalism" and called it a "new form of warfare".

The group Human Rights Foundation has urged citizens to join their Hack Them Back campaign and "break the monopoly of information that the Kim regime imposes".

Sony's decision to pull the film was made after the group claiming responsibility for the cyber-attack - the self-styled Guardians of Peace - made terrorist threats against US cinemas that prepared the show the movie.

It sparked anger and criticism among Hollywood actors, with some saying it set a dangerous precedent.

Mr Obama had previously called the decision a mistake.

In the CNN interview, he said: "Sometimes this is a matter of setting a tone and being very clear that we're not going to be intimidated by some, you know, cyber-hackers."

"And I expect all of us to remember that and operate on that basis going forward."

The President suggested he might have been able to help address the problem if given the chance.

Sony's CEO has disputed that the company never reached out, saying he spoke to a senior White House adviser about the situation before Sony announced the decision.

White House officials said Sony did discuss cyber-security with the federal government, but that the White House was never consulted on the decision not to distribute the film.

In the CNN interview, Mr Obama also touched on his relationship with Russia, denying the notion that Russian President Vladimir Putin had outmanoeuvred America and the West.

"Right now, he's presiding over the collapse of his currency, a major financial crisis and a huge economic contraction," Mr Obama said of Mr Putin.