The Problems of Cybersecurity in the Film & Media Industry

The digitization of the film and media sector has provided enormous benefits to its stakeholders, allowing filmmakers and artists to save millions of dollars while simplifying their operating methods. However, no good thing comes without its share of issues, and the media industry is no exception. As content production and delivery have gotten more democratic, and the usage of cloud storage has grown exponentially, cybersecurity has become an increasingly important worry for this business, as it has for many others. In recent years, news of media and film organizations being hacked by Internet hackers has appeared increasingly frequently in our news feeds.

The attack on Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is one of the most recent examples of an attack on intellectual property and sensitive personal data. Attackers allegedly hacked into journalists' email accounts to obtain information on the confidential sources of their information.

Similarly, Amedia, a Norwegian media organization, was supposedly subjected to a huge hack that rendered the company's systems inoperable, preventing it from publishing publications. Apart from the loss of millions of members, the corporation also lost a large amount of advertising revenue.

However, the loss of user and employee personal information is not the only issue that the media and entertainment industries are dealing with as a result of cyber-attacks. One of the most serious issues confronting this business is the safety of its goods during the manufacturing and post-production stages.

The main issues of cybersecurity in the film and media industry:

●   Technology is not that trustworthy

The increasing reliance on technology is one of the factors that has given rise to cyberattacks on the film and media industry. Digital tools like cloud storage and Digi cams are now in usage which can lead to cyber-attacks happening. The people in this industry should pay attention to bringing in more cybersecurity partners so that their data is safe and prone to cyber-attacks.

●   Involvement of externals

Handling a film or media show is not a one-man job, it requires an army. And for that many people need to get their hands on one single project. For example, a director, special effects person, or engineer, all of them will have access to one single file. So even if the company has a well-protected system, there is no assurance that a weak link will not be hacked by criminals.

●   Usage of unsafe software

People seldom end up using unsafe software that ends up becoming the reason for cyber attacks. Using suspicious apps for video editing can lead to malware attacks. Any software acquired via the Internet, especially if it is for business use, should be licensed and obtained solely from legitimate sources. Even if you are using open-source software, it should be downloaded from the official website.

●   Do not underestimate cyber threats

Underestimating the impact of cyber-attacks on your business makes you vulnerable to them. While this is an outmoded and conventional viewpoint, many creative houses and artists assume that cybersecurity is exclusively a worry for banks, financial institutions, huge tech corporations, and the like.

The Problems of Cybersecurity in the Film & Media Industry

The digitization of the film and media sector has provided enormous benefits to its stakeholders, allowing filmmakers and artists to save millions of dollars while simplifying their operating methods. However, no good thing comes without its share of issues, and the media industry is no exception. As content production and delivery have gotten more democratic, and the usage of cloud storage has grown exponentially, cybersecurity has become an increasingly important worry for this business, as it has for many others. In recent years, news of media and film organizations being hacked by Internet hackers has appeared increasingly frequently in our news feeds.

The attack on Ruprt Murdoch's News Corp. is one of the most recent examples of an attack on intellectual property and sensitive personal data. Attackers allegedly hacked into journalists' email accounts to obtain information on the confidential sources of their information.

Similarly, Amedia, a Norwegian media organization, was supposedly subjected to a huge hack that rendered the company's systems inoperable, preventing it from publishing publications. Apart from the loss of millions of members, the corporation also lost a large amount of advertising revenue.

However, the loss of user and employee personal information is not the only issue that the media and entertainment industries are dealing with as a result of cyber-attacks. One of the most serious issues confronting this business is the safety of its goods during the manufacturing and post-production stages.

The main issues of cybersecurity in the film and media industry:

●   Technology is not that trustworthy

The increasing reliance on technology is one of the factors that has given rise to cyberattacks on the film and media industry. Digital tools like cloud storage and Digi cams are now in usage which can lead to cyber-attacks happening. The people in this industry should pay attention to bringing in more cybersecurity partners so that their data is safe and prone to cyber-attacks.

●   Involvement of externals

Handling a film or media show is not a one-man job, it requires an army. And for that many people need to get their hands on one single project. For example, a director, special effects person, or engineer, all of them will have access to one single file. So even if the company has a well-protected system, there is no assurance that a weak link will not be hacked by criminals.

●   Usage of unsafe software

People seldom end up using unsafe software that ends up becoming the reason for cyber attacks. Using suspicious apps for video editing can lead to malware attacks. Any software acquired via the Internet, especially if it is for business use, should be licensed and obtained solely from legitimate sources. Even if you are using open-source software, it should be downloaded from the official website.

●   Do not underestimate cyber threats

Underestimating the impact of cyber-attacks on your business makes you vulnerable to them. While this is an outmoded and conventional viewpoint, many creative houses and artists assume that cybersecurity is exclusively a worry for banks, financial institutions, huge tech corporations, and the like.