The Sony Pictures hack that took place last year exposed terabytes’ worth of sensitive data and communications that brought the film production company to its knees. It exposed the personal information of more than 4,000 current and former employees and eventually led to the resignation of co-chairman Amy Pascal, who received vitriolic criticism for some of her emails.
The event also showed just how far many large corporations have to go to get their network security management up to par — especially since Sony Pictures executives apparently knew about the gaps that existed in their networks before the data breach.
But for all the trouble it caused, the Sony Pictures hack can teach us a few vital lessons about effective network security management. Here are the three things we all should take away from the Sony hack:
Network security is no longer optional for companies.
Today’s computer hackers are more advanced and capable of causing devastation than ever before. Whereas early hackers would simply infiltrate a company’s web server to tamper with its website, hackers in 2015 can access personal information that can assist identity theft, as well as other data that is intended to be private, completely turning a business on its head and halting operations.
A data breach can come from anywhere.
It’s estimated that the sophisticated Sony Pictures breach, performed by a group that called themselves the Guardians of Peace, originated from North Korea. These days, hackers can operate from anywhere in the world — making tracing their path through your networks and servers next to impossible in some cases. Because of this, prevention is the best action to take against these attacks rather than wasting money on finding an elusive hacker.
Cybersecurity insurance and managed IT support services are a must.
Cybersecurity insurance helps insure companies against the damage of data loss, in addition to any losses incurred from total interruption of operations. In addition to ramping up one’s network security systems, it’s also imperative to have insurance against the potential damage of the worst-case scenario. Additionally, IT managed services can offer an indispensable service, detecting network security threats and adapting the network to keep hackers out.
What are your thoughts on the Sony Pictures hack that took place late last year? Have any other questions for us about network security systems and hiring network security specialists for advanced computer services? Feel free to let us know what’s on your mind in the comments below.
