Think it’s only small companies whose operations can completely grind to a halt thanks to the work of a malicious intruder? Well think again. Entertainment titan Sony has fallen victim to a cybercriminal intrusion – and by most accounts, the attack has been crippling.
Signs of something amiss
The first indication that something wasn’t right at Sony came in the form of scattered reports that the company had shut down its computers due to the detection of a malicious and potentially compromising presence within the enterprise’s internal infrastructure. Initially, it was almost hard to believe the story: A company literally powering down its network due to the efforts of a cybercriminal force.
An insider source – who identified her or himself as an ex-employee of Sony –Â spoke on the condition of anonymity to Business 2 Community. This source – who identified her or himself as an ex-employee of Sony – stated that he or she had a friend who still works for the company. That individual reported that Sony’s computers were overtaken by a hacking effort – calling itself “#GOP” – that then displayed the following message on computers within the company system: “We’ve already warned you, and this is just a beginning. We continue till our request be met.”
At first, the sources reporting this apparent malicious encroachment were individuals who requested anonymity. Scattered as the reports were, there was some doubt as to their veracity. But as more reports surfaced, it became clear that this attack is, in fact, very real – and that hackers have succeeded in exerting a major amount of control over an entertainment industry titan.
Just how bad is it?
Initially, it was reported at around 10:50 a.m. on Nov. 24 that the computers were down at Sony. According to a news story published almost a full 24 hours later, the business’ computers were still down as of the morning of Nov. 25. Whatever malicious element attacked the business, it’s certainly a powerful one. Though perhaps the credit for the efficacy of the attack doesn’t lie with the criminals alone – perhaps lackluster security on Sony’s part has something to do with it.
While there’s not much news out about the kinds of layered security strategies being employed at Sony, they will come into question given recent events. After all, how were cyber thieves able to gain access to the organization’s computers in Culver City, New York and overseas? What the scale of the attack brings up is the question of if Sony’s computer system was too interconnected. Had more individualized security efforts been in place, would computers at only one of the company’s spots have been targeted? As it stands, the all-encompassing attack has succeeded in forcing the entertainment train that is Sony to grind to a halt.
There’s a lesson to be learned here for all companies: Regardless of what your business is – or how big or small it happens to be – robust cybersecurity is absolutely vital. As the attack on Sony illustrates, no organization is impervious to a hacker and therefore all companies need to set aside time, energy and funds to build a top-of-the-line layered security infrastructure. One key element of such a plan revolves around disaster recovery. Say, for instance, a malicious element worms its way into the system despite all your business’ blockades. In that case, you’ll need to perform a restore to your company’s desktops in its unblemished form. That’s where Deep Freeze from Faronics presents an indispensable asset. With Deep Freeze, companies can consider themselves protected.
