The US is imposing financial sanctions on North Korea in retaliation for the cyberattack against Sony Pictures. The White House says the sanctions affect three North Korean entities, including a government intelligence agency and a North Korean arms dealer. The US also is sanctioning 10 individuals who work for those entities or the North Korean government. President Obama signed an executive order today authorizing the penalties, which forbid those affected from using the US financial system. The White House says this is just the first part of the US response to the Sony incident.
"Even as the FBI continues its investigation into the cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment, these steps underscore that we will employ a broad set of tools to defend US businesses and citizens, and to respond to attempts to undermine our values or threaten the national security of the United States," says a statement from Treasury chief Jack Lew. North Korea has praised the hack but denied involvement. (Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un's eyebrows are shrinking.)