Sony’s Response to North Korea’s Cyberattack Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

In 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment faced a cyber attack from North Korea prior to the release of The Interview, a film that discusses the personality of North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong Un. In addition to the cyberattack that caused millions of losses for the company, Sony also faced a threat from the terrorists that several theaters that will show the film will be attacked. Sony’s response to the threats included canceling the film’s release and switching to video-on-demand outlets. Some suggested that canceling the film’s release creates a dangerous precedent of a large company submitting to terrorist orders. However, while the company’s solution partially allowed them to disobey the terrorists’ order, it also displayed how terrorists’ plans can be prevented through technological development.

In my opinion, Sony’s response was appropriate for the situation, as it could be acknowledged as the use of the opponent’s weapon against him. Therefore, while the terrorists used cyberattacks to steal the company’s information and destroy their equipment, Sony switched the release to on-demand platforms and streaming services, allowing a speedy and widespread release of the film. As on-demand videos are easier to pirate, the film’s pirate copies quickly spread across the internet, making film easier to access and more discussed across different countries and segments of the population. In addition, the film’s plot turned out to be more appealing to comedy than satire, influencing the public’s opinion about the earlier threats from North Korea. In my opinion, Sony’s response to the attack was appropriate for the situation and politicly addressed several concerns.

Furthermore, while the case is complicated by presenting a real terrorist threat to the population, there are certain things that Sony and the U.S. government could have done differently to discourage future such attacks on other U.S. organizations. Firstly, Sony never publicly acknowledged that The Interview is a satire that has no connection with reality and does not threaten North Korea’s political regime. Instead, it seemed that the company used unexpected publicity to market a relatively insignificant comedy film. Therefore, by initially canceling the film’s release date, the company set a negative precedent of a major company submitting to terrorist demands.

Next, considering the government’s role in Sony’s case, the issue should have raised attention to the cyber security problem in both governmental structures and large business corporations. Instead of acknowledging that the issue was Sony’s problem, analyzing the breach and constructing new cyber security policies for the governmental organizations could have helped prevent other attacks in the future. For example, it could have prevented the 2016 controversy with foreign interference in the presidential election (Stengel). Therefore, by focusing on Sony’s financial losses instead of similar potential threats in the future, the U.S. government exposed the cyber security issues that contributed to future cyberattacks.

In conclusion, the case of Sony’s response to the cyberattack demonstrates the importance of prompt identification of the issue and its consequences. The case also displays how a creative approach to a problem that simultaneously addresses several concerns is not always the right choice. Furthermore, preventing both real-world terrorist violence and cyberattacks requires a collective effort of the U.S. government and business organizations. The possible measures include regulation of governmental and private organizations’ cyber security to achieve higher data protection standards. Through collective efforts and sufficient budgeting, organizations can develop more advanced cyber security and supervision systems and implement them in a short period of time, preventing future real-world terrorist violence and cyberattacks.

Work Cited

Stengel, Richard. Vanity Fair, 2019.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, January 7). Sony's Response to North Korea's Cyberattack. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sonys-response-to-north-koreas-cyberattack/

Work Cited

"Sony's Response to North Korea's Cyberattack." IvyPanda, 7 Jan. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/sonys-response-to-north-koreas-cyberattack/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'Sony's Response to North Korea's Cyberattack'. 7 January.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "Sony's Response to North Korea's Cyberattack." January 7, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sonys-response-to-north-koreas-cyberattack/.

1. IvyPanda. "Sony's Response to North Korea's Cyberattack." January 7, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sonys-response-to-north-koreas-cyberattack/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Sony's Response to North Korea's Cyberattack." January 7, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/sonys-response-to-north-koreas-cyberattack/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1