AP source: US asks for China’s co-operation as it weighs response to Sony cyberattack

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The United States is asking China for help as it weighs potential responses to a cyberattack against Sony Pictures Entertainment that the U.S. has blamed on North Korea.

A senior Obama administration official says the U.S. and China have shared information about the attack and that the U.S. has asked for China’s co-operation. The official also says China agrees with the U.S. that destructive cyberattacks violate the norms of appropriate behaviour in cyberspace.

The official wasn’t authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity.

President Barack Obama is considering how to respond to the attack on Sony’s networks while he vacations this week in Hawaii.

Involving China could pose complications. China holds considerable leverage over North Korea. But Obama has pointedly accused China of carrying out cybertheft, too.