If this were a more serious incident, and there was more to investigate and lockdown, it seems much more likely that the STRATCOM info officers would wait, sinc

If this were a more serious incident, and there was more to investigate and lockdown, it seems much more likely that the STRATCOM info officers would wait, since a response isn't required until 20 business days. They gain absolutely nothing by responding within 12 hours with a cutesy public lie that has the risk of being unraveled by the "real" hacker. The information is not just for the press and the public — every part of the government and the military not directly connected to STRATCOM would believe that the public explanation is correct, which is the last thing you'd want if there really were a security breach.