Webmaster Studio lnc
GET QUOTE 855-480-4400 CONTACT US REQUEST A QUOTE REQUEST A QUOTE
Webmaster Studio lnc
  • WHO WE ARE
    • WS Team
    • WS History
    • WS Location
  • SERVICES
    • Web Design & Development
      • Corporate Web Design
      • E commerce Site Design
      • Social Networking Site Development
      • Small Business Site
      • Branding and Graphic Design Services
    • Online Marketing Services
      • Search Engine Optimization
      • Paid Search Marketing
      • Digital Marketing Strategy
      • Social Media Marketing
      • Online PR Services
    • Mobile Application Development
    • IT Support Services
      • IT Support
      • Web Hosting Support
      • Network Engineering Services
      • Remote Back-up / Disaster Recovery
    • Content Marketing
      • Content Planning
      • Blog Marketing
      • Article Writing
    • Would you like to know more about our company, please Download our FREE PDF Brochure.

  • OUR WORK
  • INDUSTRIES
  • NEWS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT 855-480-4400
  • REQUEST A QUOTE
  • REQUEST A QUOTE
Blog
 
The Sony Hack of 2014: What It Meant for Sony and What It Means for You
Posted In:

Technologies



sony hollywood tank logo
SAT
7
MAR 2015

It was like something out of a movie. Early in the morning of November 24, 2014, just a few days before Thanksgiving, the same ominous message was displayed on every employee computer at Sony Pictures Entertainment. There was a red background and a picture of a skeleton along with the words “We’ve already warned you, and this is just the beginning.” Just above, a banner stated in bold red lettering “Hacked by #GOP,” later revealed to be an acronym for the supposed hacking collective “Guardians of Peace.” The message went on to say that if Sony did not obey the hacker’s demands, all of Sony’s data including their “secrets and top secrets” would be released to the world. Following the threat was a list of links to stolen files to prove they weren’t bluffing. The deadline to meet the demands was just hours away.

                Later that morning, the media began reporting that Sony had been hacked. Beyond the stolen files, all phones and email services within the company were shut down. As a precaution, Sony had basically shut down their entire network, bringing the company’s global business to a grinding halt. Computers remained unavailable for many employees well after Thanksgiving and some executives even resorted using their old BlackBerry phones to communicate, because, somewhat amazingly, the seemingly obsolete devices were able to connect to a network that hadn’t been hacked.

                The fallout for Sony was massive. The hackers hit Sony where it hurt: in the pocketbook. High-quality video files of films that had just debuted in theaters like Fury and Annie were released to the public, or at least anybody who downloaded stolen movies from a torrent site, instead of paying for a theater ticket. The hack released embarrassing emails between executives discussing everything from President Obama’s presumed reaction to 12 Years a Slave to complaints about the company’s negotiations with celebrities. Other emails between lower level employees discussing their thoughts about what is wrong with the direction of the company found their way to gossip websites like Gawker. The general tone was that the films the company produced were boring: “There is a general ‘blah-ness’ to the films we produce… We continue to be saddled with the mundane, formulaic Adam Sandler films.”

                For a company that was already going through a rough patch, the emails opened the door to the internal dissatisfaction with the way things were being done at Sony. The emails between Sony Pictures co-chairwoman Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin are embarrassing for them to be sure, but it’s obvious that they never expected these conversations to be made public. Just about any organization would be humiliated if their emails were released, because of the level of privacy one assumes when writing in an email. The reason the Sony Hack produced such newsworthy fodder was that the emails were talking about celebrities, like Angelina Jolie and Kevin Hart. From a network security standpoint, the content of the emails is irrelevant. It’s the fact that they were so easily made public that is alarming.

                It’s not been determined exactly who the Guardians of Peace were. Many, including the FBI, believe that the hack was the work of North Korea in retaliation for Sony’s The Interview, which depicted the assassination of dictator Kim Jong-Un. Nefarious as this plot may seem, a country whose entire internet was blacked out just one month after the hack might not be the cyber-attack threat everyone makes them out to be. That point is debatable. What isn’t questionable is how unsecure Sony’s network was. Once the hackers were in, whoever they were, they had absolutely everything they needed. Once they had access to Sony’s servers, the infiltrators might have noticed filenames such as Master_Password_Sheet.xls, which were unencrypted and contained exactly what you’d think they would contain: plain text passwords for a number of applications. The hackers released this list along with the other files under the filename bonus.rar. The specificity of the filenames would be somewhat mind-boggling to anybody well versed in network security. The list is populated with filenames like “Important Passwords – TAAS, Outlook, Novell.txt” and “Mcafeepassword.txt.” All of these files were left unencrypted on an open file sharing network which helpful names telling people exactly what they contained.

                It’s almost gracious for the hackers to let Sony know which passwords were stolen from the company so they know what to fix. On the other hand, Sony should be embarrassed about how they treated their employees’ personal information. Many of the files contained information linked to both personal and business financial accounts, like American Express cards. Moreover, it wasn’t until almost two weeks after the hack that the media reported that over 47,000 Social Security numbers (presumably from employees) had been stolen.

                The lesson from the Sony Hack for other corporations is a simple one: Don’t put all of your faith in your firewall. A strong firewall is like a sturdy metal door in front of your home. It will protect you from most intruders, but if the key to that door falls into the wrong hands, you had better be sure that all of your doors inside your home are locked. Sony didn’t do this. They spent all of their time trusting the front door, while inside they left their safes unlocked and handwritten notes about where the valuable jewelry is stashed.

                Even if you don’t stand to suffer a multimillion dollar loss from a hack like Sony did, you should still take precautions to hide your personal data. Make your passwords secure and difficult to guess and change them often. If you need to keep a list of them somewhere, don’t keep them on your computer (maybe a USB drive in a lockbox at home) and don’t make the filename obvious. When online, opt for two-step verification when it’s available. This usually involves entering a password and then having a code sent to your phone to make sure it’s you logging in. A hack into your system might not be as intriguing as one into a major film studio, but it could be just as devastating for you. Take a moment to review a few tips about how to secure your data and you can rest easy at night knowing your embarrassing emails will never come to light.

Back


Tweet




Categories

Advertising and Promotion

Content Creation


eCommerce

Email Marketing


Facebook

Google


Internet Marketing

iPhone


Latest Projects

Search Engine Optimization


Social Media

Technologies


Web Design

Web Development



Sign up for Webmaster Studio News
Our Featured Videos...
Top Stories
  • SEO
  • Social Media
  • Web Design
  • Cool Stuff

YouTube Hits Milestone with Promoted Videos!

YouTube’s rapidly expanding Promoted Videos feature has just registered its half-billionth hit, and shows no sign of slowing do...
Are You Leveraging Social Media Interaction to Drive Organic Search Results?
Social media interaction – consultants and analysts throughout the marketplace continue to tout the importance of this activity...
The Power of Keywords in SEO Content Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is how visible your webpage is on the web. Many webmasters pay good money to get their pages &l...
Mega SEO: Is Structure King?
If you’re a webmaster, chances are you are very familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You could spout off its definit...
Face It: Why You Should Use Facebook For Your Business
              Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 200...
An Integrated Approach to Brand Awareness and Web Design Strategy
Developing your Web design strategy can be a challenging task as you want to ensure the results justify the investment. If you are no...
Can Wallaby Bridge the Gap Between Flash and HTML 5?
Web development is always evolving and now it's taking another leap into the unknown with the power struggle between Flash and HT...
Prestigious Web Design for a Prestigious Dental Care Practice
When we met with Dr. Oleg Klempner and his team at Central Park S. Dental Care, we knew we could meet his needs. For Central Park S. ...
Web Design Tips for Content-Rich Pages
Let’s say you have a beautifully designed webpage that’s full of great content (you do, don’t you?). You spent endl...
Blog Archive

About Us

Our website development production and quality of work is based on years of training in collaboration with top level software engineers in the industry.

Contact Info

Webmaster Studio, Inc.
757 3rd Ave, Floor 20th
New York, NY 10017

855-480-4400
212-537-5962

Quick Links
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Get Quote
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms and Conditions
Newsletter Sign-up

Please sign up for our email list, where we will send you up to date news and promotions.


© 2023 Webmaster Studio, Inc. – All Rights Reserved. Website Design Company – Online Digital Agency
  • WHO WE ARE
    • WS Team
    • WS History
    • WS Location
  • SERVICES
    • Web Design & Development
      • Corporate Web Design
      • E commerce Site Design
      • Social Networking Site Development
      • Small Business Site
      • Branding and Graphic Design Services
    • Online Marketing Services
      • Search Engine Optimization
      • Paid Search Marketing
      • Digital Marketing Strategy
      • Social Media Marketing
      • Online PR Services
    • Mobile Application Development
    • IT Support Services
      • IT Support
      • Web Hosting Support
      • Network Engineering Services
      • Remote Back-up / Disaster Recovery
    • Content Marketing
      • Content Planning
      • Blog Marketing
      • Article Writing
    • Would you like to know more about our company, please Download our FREE PDF Brochure.

  • OUR WORK
  • INDUSTRIES
  • NEWS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT 855-480-4400
  • REQUEST A QUOTE
  • REQUEST A QUOTE