In 2014, Sony Pictures became a victim of a massive hack that released sensitive data, including employee information and internal communications. The decision was made to remove the data to damage the company’s reputation and embarrass its executives. The hack was widely seen as corporate espionage, and the U.S. government later charged several individuals with the incident (Connor, 2015). The incident was a significant blow to Sony Pictures, and the company has since been struggling to recover. The data release caused considerable embarrassment, and the company has been battling to repair its reputation. The incident also highlighted the vulnerability of large companies to cyberattacks and the need for better security measures.
“Guardians of Peace” was the hacker organization that breached the computer networks of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a prominent American motion picture studio. The hackers gained access to sensitive data, including employee personal information, financial records, and email communications (Connor, 2015). They also obtained several unreleased Sony films and made them available online. In the wake of the hack, Sony faced a difficult decision. Should they release the movie, even though they knew the hackers would likely release them as well? Or should they try to keep the films under wraps in the hopes that the hackers would not remove them? Sony ultimately decided to release the movie despite their many worries (Connor, 2015). This was not an easy decision and was met with criticism from some quarters. However, given the circumstances, Sony felt it was the best course of action.
The Sony hack was a significant event in the world of information security. It showed how vulnerable even large organizations could be to cyber-crimes. It also highlighted the importance of data security and the need for companies to take steps to protect their data. The Sony hack also significantly impacted the film industry (Connor, 2015). Releasing the hacked films led to a decline in ticket sales for Sony films. This, in turn, led to a reduction in revenue for the studio. The Sony hack was a significant event that impacted many people and organizations (Herath, 2021). The hack also raised questions about the security of digital copies of films. As more video productions get released digitally, the risk of being hacked and released online increases.
A few key lessons can be learned from the Sony hack. One, data security is vital as companies need to take steps to protect their data. This is the most important lesson to take away from the Sony hack. The hack showed that even large companies could be vulnerable to cyber theft. It also depicted that employees’ sensitive data could be compromised in a cyber-insecurity event. Companies must take data security seriously by implementing security measures to protect their data (Herath, 2021). They also need to enlighten their employees about data security and ensure they are aware of the risks.
Secondly, cyberattacks can significantly impact businesses (Juma’h & Alnsour, 2020). The Sony hack showed that cybercrimes could majorly impact businesses. The hack led to a decline in ticket sales for Sony films. The hack caused Sony to shut down its entire computer network, disrupting business operations and losing customer data. Sony underwent costly litigations, as it got sued by several customers who alleged that the company’s data security practices were inadequate. Thus, revenue for the studio was highly reduced due to the events after a cyberattack.
Thirdly, it is essential to have a plan in place for how to deal with cyber insecurity. The Sony hack showed that it is crucial to have a plan in place for how to deal with a cyberattack and was criticized for its initial response. The fourth reason is that cyber theft can result in a ripple effect, impacting other businesses and industries (Lezzi et al., 2018). For instance, the hack and subsequent release of Sony’s internal data led to a great deal of negative publicity for the company. Therefore, this caused a decline in stock prices and a loss of confidence from consumers. Finally, the hack also caused several studios to re-evaluate their relationship with Sony; some even severed ties completely. Sony didn’t have a proper plan to meet the escalating events and thus suffered greatly.
Lastly, Cybersecurity is an important issue that needs to be addressed (Corallo et al., 2022). The Sony hack showed that every institution should know cybersecurity is an essential safety concern (Connor, 2015). This incident highlights the vulnerability of institutions to cybercrime and how important it is to have robust cybersecurity measures in place. The hackers could have used personal information from Sony to blackmail the company or to sell it to other companies. Companies can help protect themselves from these unforeseen threats by addressing cybersecurity issues.
The Sony hack was a significant event that impacted many people and organizations. Learning from the hack and taking steps to protect against future attacks is essential. Data security is critical, and companies need to take steps to protect their data. Cyber insecurities can significantly impact businesses, and it is crucial to have a plan in place for how to deal with them. Cyberattacks can also ripple effect, affecting other companies and industries.
References
Connor, J. D. (2015). The Sony hack: Data and decision in the contemporary studio. Media Industries Journal, 2(2). Web.
Corallo, A., Lazoi, M., Lezzi, M., & Luperto, A. (2022). Cybersecurity awareness in the context of the industrial internet of things: A systematic literature review. Computers in Industry, 137, 103614. Web.
Herath, P. (2021). Understanding the importance of data/application security. Azure Cloud Security for Absolute Beginners, 1–10. Web.
Juma’h, A. H., & Alnsour, Y. (2020). The effect of data breaches on company performance. International Journal of Accounting & Information Management, 28(2), 275–301. Web.
Lezzi, M., Lazoi, M., & Corallo, A. (2018). Cybersecurity for Industry 4.0 in the current literature: A reference framework. Computers in Industry, 103, 97–110. Web.