Sony Cyber Security Attack

Sony hack

The use of the internet has improved the way that individuals communicate. However, it has also opened up institutions to attacks by cybercriminals who utilize technology and the internet to reach the computing infrastructure of such institutions. One such institution is Sony Pictures. Hackers utilized various intrusion tools to gain access to the computing infrastructure of the institution and stole the personal information of the employees, as well as some of the communication among employees.

Several impacts were observed as a result of the attack. First, the institution experienced financial losses as a result of the hack (Peterson, 2014). This can be observed as a result of the infrastructure repair that the Sony had to conduct on its network to prevent future attacks. It also made financial losses as a result of the loss in customers for the movies that were set to premiere before the attack (Roman, 2014). The other impact can be observed in the release of the private information of some of the employees and actors contracted by the institution (Feeney, 2014). Sony Pictures responded to the hack by performing an audit on their network and putting up the needed intrusion and detection systems to mitigate another attack in the future.

Apart from the measures taken up by the institution, other measures can be utilized within the human resource to prevent any attacks. First, the human resource needs to be trained on the IT policies implemented by such an institution. The IT policies taken up by various institutions are meant to provide a proactive approach towards information security (Mahr, 2010). As such, the person should understand what is contained in such a policy and some of the best practices when interfacing with the institution’s computing infrastructure. Doing so provides the IT department a better chance at dealing with some of the attacks that such an institution might face.

References

Feeney, N. (2014) Sony Asks Media to Stop Covering Hacked Emails. The Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/3633385/sony-hack-emails-media/

Mahr, F. (2010). Aligning information technology, organization, and strategy: Effects on firm         performance. Weisbaden: Gabler.

Peterson, A. (2014) The Sony Pictures hack, explained. The Washington Post. Retrieved from   https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2014/12/18/the-sony-pictures-      hack-explained/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.573a720927ae

Roman, J. (2014) Sony Hack: Business Continuity Lessons. Bank Info Security. Retrieved from        https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/sony-hack-business-continuity-lessons-a-77