A computer programmer working for the North Korean government has been charged with devastating cyberattacks that hacked Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The attack also unleashed the WannaCry ransomware virus that infected computers in 150 countries and crippled parts of the British health care system.
Park Jin Hyok, who is believed to be in North Korea, conspired to conduct a series of attacks that also stole $US81 million ($A113 million) from a bank in Bangladesh, according to charges unsealed in Los Angeles federal court following years of investigation. The US believes he was working for a North Korean-sponsored hacking organisation.
The US government previously said North Korea was responsible for the 2014 Sony hack that led to the release of a trove of sensitive personal information about employees, including Social Security numbers, financial records, salary information, as well as embarrassing emails among top executives.
The hack included four yet-to-be released Sony films, among them Annie, and one that was in theaters, the Brad Pitt film Fury, and cost the company tens of millions of dollars.
The FBI had long suspected North Korea was also behind last year's WannaCry cyberattack, which used malware to scramble data on hundreds of thousands of computers at hospitals, factories, government agencies, banks and other businesses across the globe.
The charges were filed under seal June 8, four days before President Donald Trump's historic meeting with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, to discuss ending decades of hostility between the two countries. Prosecutors said the complaint was sealed for a variety of reasons and wasn't done to prevent derailing the Singapore talks.
US officials believe the Sony hack was retribution for The Interview, a comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco in a plot to assassinate Kim. Sony canceled the theatrical release of the film amid threats to moviegoers. The company released it online through YouTube and other sites.
A Sony spokeswoman declined comment Thursday. Attempts by The Associated Press to reach the alleged hacker were not immediately successful.
The criminal complaint says the hackers committed several attacks from 2014 into 2018, attempting to steal more than $US1 billion ($A1.4 billion) from banks around the world. The investigation is continuing.
