While the holidays are normally a time for people to relax, the executives and employees at Sony were doing anything but. Word of the Sony hack circulated quickly, and with it, embarrassing and sensitive company emails and files that lead to widespread damages (some estimates put them at over $100 million). The hacking and subsequent threats from North Korea later lead to the studio to temporarily take the movie The Interview out of theaters. Perhaps it was a fitting end to 2014 after a string of large security breaches hit major corporations throughout the year. Now in the aftermath of the Sony hack, companies are scrambling to make sure they dont become victims of a similar attack. Less encouraging is the report from Forrester indicating that 60 percent of companies will discover a data breach during 2015. Security experts have been analyzing the situation surrounding the Sony hack as well, looking at the lessons that others can learn and the long term impact these attacks will have on data security in the future.
If one good thing has come from the Sony hack, its that organizations are more aware of the threats that are out there and will take them seriously in the future. Cyber attackers have grown bolder in recent years, going after companies like Target, Home Depot, and JPMorgan Chase. But businesses also have to be more aware of threats coming from foreign governments. The FBI says the Sony hack was perpetrated by a group affiliated with the North Korean government, though that report is disputed by some security experts. Even if the FBI is incorrect in this instance, the reality is that foreign governments have the ability to target private companies around the world. If businesses are aware of these threats, their chances of improving their data security will greatly increase.
The Sony hack has also inspired many organizations to further stress the importance of practicing basic security procedures. While these procedures might seem simple and minimal compared to the threats companies are facing, they can be effective in deterring attacks. One basic tactic is the use of strong passwords. All too often, employees and executives use weak passwords — like Password1 — that are easy for cyber attackers to crack. Weak passwords make it much more difficult for companies to protect business data no matter what other protocols are being followed. Exacerbating the issue for Sony was the fact that the companys usernames and passwords were kept in a file called Usernames&Passwords, giving hackers easy access to other accounts. If organizations want to work at protecting data, theyll also need to make sure their passwords are protected as well, meaning not placing them in an obviously marked folder, or even going so far as to encrypt their data.
Companies are also placing a bigger emphasis on planning ahead for future attacks while protecting their network and improving IT security. While building a strong defense is an admirable goal, businesses are also realizing in the wake of the Sony hack that no system is impenetrable. That means damage control should also be a significant focus. No matter how good a companys network security is, eventually an attacker will find a weakness and exploit it. Executives need to work hand in hand with the IT security team to establish a plan on what to do when such a breach happens. Early detection in these instances is crucial if organizations want to minimize the damage. Companies can also know ahead of time which workers will perform what tasks. In the case of data security breaches, those who act quickly are better suited to getting the company back on its feet in short order.
Businesses may feel like they have a lot to worry about after news of the Sony hack first broke, but a little bit of planning and responsible investments will help them in the years to come. Experts are predicting that businesses will spend a larger portion of their budget on data security in the near future as they upgrade their systems. Information about hackings will also be shared between organizations as whole industries band together to prevent future attacks. Though the Sony hack was damaging, now is not the time for businesses to panic; they simply need to take the warnings from their security teams seriously and not believe they are exempt from being targeted by cyber attackers. The attacks may not stop altogether, but hackers efforts will be seriously hampered and data will be well protected.
