VOA慢速英语2014 朝鲜“黑”索尼了吗?

 

AS IT IS 2014-12-06 Could North Korea Have Hacked² Sony Pictures? 朝鲜“黑”索尼了吗? 

United States federal agents have joined an investigation³ of an attack on computers belonging to Sony Pictures Entertainment. The Federal Bureau of Investigation says the cyber-attack on the film producer took place last month.

Later this month, Sony Pictures plans to release a comedy film called The Interview. It tells about an imaginary plot against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Since the attack, many people are wondering if North Korea was responsible for hacking⁴ into the computers.

North Korean officials have denounced the movie and promised to “mercilessly destroy” anyone connected to it. The film stars actors Seth Rogen and James Franco. The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency asks for their help in a plot against the life of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Interview is set for release in theatres on December 25. The movie will be shown in more than 60 countries, including the United States. North Korea has sent protests to President Barack Obama and the United Nations. And it has called the distribution of the film, “undisguised sponsoring of terrorism.”

Frank Cilluffo leads the Homeland Security Policy Institute at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He says that there is good reason to believe that North Korea was responsible for the cyber-attack.

"They certainly have both the motive⁵ and the capability⁶. They made their intentions loud and clear when the Foreign Ministry⁷ threatened that they will mercilessly destroy anyone who dares to hurt the supreme⁸ leader. And they also have the capabilities⁹, since they have been investing very heavily in asymmetric¹⁰ means of warfare¹¹ and technologies, generally, and computer network attack and cyber capabilities, specifically."

Mr. Cilluffo adds that North Korea is investing more money in building up its cyber-attack capabilities than any other country. He suspects the cyber-attacks will likely increase. But he says there is currently no proof that North Korea is to blame for the attack on Sony’s computer networks.

"What we lack at this stage is foolproof attribution.  In other words, we don't have a smoking keyboard that they in fact were behind it, or whether or not proxies¹² or those sympathetic to North Korea's causes were behind it, or if someone else altogether is behind it."

This week, North Korea firmly denied reports that it was to blame for the cyber-attack. A North Korean diplomat¹³ in New York told VOA his country has nothing to do with the attack. “My country publicly declared that it would follow international norms banning hacking and piracy,” he added.

The hacking caused suspension of Sony Pictures’s e-mail systems. Employees were completely unable to use email and other networking systems. Sony has since re-established some of the affected¹⁴ systems. Internet security experts were brought in to repair the damage.

After the attack, unreleased copies of five movies were posted on the Internet without the film studio’s approval. Reportedly, hackers¹⁵ also stole personal medical and payment information of thousands of Sony Pictures employees.

Words in This Story

cyber-attack – n. of, relating to, or involving an attack on computers or computer networks

hack¹ – v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information, cause damage, etc.

investigation - n. finding out the facts about (something, such as a crime or an accident) in order to learn how it happened, who did it, etc.

1 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

2 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

5 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

6 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

9 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 asymmetric   

a.不对称的

参考例句：

• Most people's faces are asymmetric. 大多数人的脸不对称。
• We have made no reference to asymmetric carbon atoms. 我们未曾涉及不对称碳原子。

11 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

12 proxies   

n.代表权( proxy的名词复数 )；（测算用的）代替物；（对代理人的）委托书；（英国国教教区献给主教等的）巡游费

参考例句：

• SOCKS and proxies are unavailable. Try connecting to XX again? socks和代理不可用。尝试重新连接到XX吗？ 来自互联网
• All proxies are still down. Continue with direct connections? 所有的代理仍然有故障。继续直接连接吗？ 来自互联网

13 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

14 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

15 hackers   

n.计算机迷( hacker的名词复数 )；私自存取或篡改电脑资料者，电脑“黑客”

参考例句：

• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Arranging a meeting with the hackers took weeks againoff-again email exchanges. 通过几星期电子邮件往来安排见面，他们最终同意了。 来自互联网