What Can we Learn from the Netflix Leak?

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Netflix was in the news recently for a mishap with its production company. A cybercriminal that goes by the name “thedarkoverlord” was able to breach postproduction company Larson Studios, and has claimed to have “stolen unreleased content from ABC, Fox, National Geographic and IFC.”1 After Netflix refused to pay the ransom, the cybercriminals released the first 10 episodes of Season 5 of “Orange Is The New Black” on Friday, April 28th via Twitter. When they did not receive the desired response (payment), the released the remaining nine episodes of the season the following day.1

This is the latest high-profile breach in the past year (LinkedIn, Twitter, IRS just to name a few). According to a report published by Verizon, ransomware attacks have “increased in the past five years and were up 50 percent in 2016 compared with 2015…”1

This breach is a reminder to stay vigilant and maintain your safeguards. Here are some tips on how to avoid finding yourself in this type of predicament:

  1. Create a Firewall. While most operating systems come with their own firewalls, they are typically only designed to protect one machine. To protect yourself from attacks and malware, it is best to invest in a network firewall.
  2. Encrypt Your Data. A firewall is considered the first line of defense, encrypting your data provides that extra layer of security. You do not want them to be able to through the firewall and have easy access to your proprietary information.
  3. Have Policies in Place. You can have all the devices and systems in place, but if your employees are not well-versed in their roles of protecting the data, all your effort will be for not. Instead, make sure employees know how to treat the data and the steps they need to take to avoid any potential issues. One of the core policies that should be implemented is a password policy. Employees should be prompted to change their password a minimum of every 90 days (less depending upon your industry). Passwords should be complex and include numbers, letters, and symbols.
  4. Have a regular review of your infrastructure. You go to the doctor for regular checkups, you should do the same for your company’s infrastructure. It can often be difficult to do on your own as you may not have all the knowledge and expertise or the bandwidth to conduct a proper evaluation. Do not be afraid to ask an MSP, such as Bryley, to conduct a network assessment and evaluate your infrastructure. They have expertise and breadth of knowledge that will prove valuable and can highlight what you are doing well and areas where you can improve.

If you would like to improve your cybersecurity plan, or to inquire about Bryley’s full array of our Managed Cloud Services and Managed IT Services, please contact us at 844.449.8770 or by email at ITExperts@Bryley.com. We’re here for you.

 

1 Perlroth, Nicole and Matthew Haag. Hacker Leaks Episodes From Netflix Show and Threatens Other Networks. 29 April 2017.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/irs-identity-theft-online-hackers-social-security-number-get-transcript/
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/15/turkey-twitter-accounts-hacked-germany-netherlands-nazis-forbes.html
http://www.verizonenterprise.com/verizon-insights-lab/dbir/2017/