Readers,
Everyone has had their share of computer woes every now and again. For most, we end up opening an email attachment that we shouldn’t have, and then we’re forced to rely on a tech-savvy family member to clean up the resulting viruses and adware.
But last November, Sony Pictures employees arrived at the office to find their computer screens displaying a message informing them that they had been hacked by a group called the Guardians of Peace, and that their internal data, including several unreleased movies, had been stolen. That stolen information was leaked to the broader internet public over the next several days.
After that, though, things got more intense. In mid-December, the hackers posted messages threatening 9/11-style attacks on movie theaters that showed Sony’s then-forthcoming film, The Interview.
The movie pokes fun at North Korea’s notorious dictator, Kim Jong-Un. The threats of reprisal against those showing the film supported early theories that North Korea had orchestrated the hack. Those theories were eventually affirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who concluded that the attack did indeed originate from that country.
Shortly after the threats were made, Sony made the awful decision to capitulate. Rather than proceeding with the debut of the film, Sony canceled the premier and gave in to the hackers’ demands.
Folks, there’s a reason that the U.S. refuses to negotiate with terrorists (until recently that is – thanks, Obama). We refuse because we don’t want them to think that their criminal actions will get them what they want. Like parents who ignore the temper tantrums of their children, we strive to impart the message that bad behavior does not get results. But Sony has gone ahead and made it clear that this type of cyber warfare works. This sets terrible precedent that will only encourage further cybercrimes.
I’m no computer wizard, and I don’t know what Sony could have done differently to secure their systems and sensitive data. But the lesson here is that attacks of this nature are going to become the new norm, and that businesses handling sensitive information are going to have to adapt and evolve to deal with these attacks.
And when the attacks do compromise sensitive data, companies better be prepared to just say “No” to the criminals who took it.
Dave Fournier, Jr.
American Recycler
Published in the January 2015 Edition of American Recycler News