The Sony hack has taught us many lessons about digital privacy and cyber security. One of the biggest lessons is to be careful about what you put in an email. Another is to ensure that proper email retention policies are in place. A third lesson is that employees need to be better trained about these issues. As privacy law expert Prof. Dan Solove recently stated, there are real harms when one's privacy is breached.
According to multiple published reports, the FBI has named North Korea as the prime suspect in the hacking attack. If North Korea directed or encouraged those responsible for the hack because it wasn't happy with the theme of the movie The Interview it opens up a new front on what companies will have to prepare for when a business decision may not be popular with a foreign government or a well funded adversary.
If a nation state such as North Korea or a well funded organization is determined to hack into a corporate computer system it will do so. Companies can take steps to reduce the risk by creating new digital policies, training their employees, installing new cyber security systems, taking certain systems offline, etc...
The Sony hack has exposed most if not all of its secrets for all to see. From the troubling gender pay gap to the leak of social security numbers, personal health care records, corporate budgets, etc...the hack has greatly damaged Sony's reputation. While Sony may eventually be able to recover from this very troubling matter, it wouldn't surprise me if multiple executives leave the company in the near future due to what is contained in their emails.
The bottom line is that the most state of the art cyber security system may not protect against human error or stupidity. Therefore, it is imperative to constantly train and educate employees about digital privacy and cyber security matters. Privacy is something we take for granted until it has been lost. With the right education and mindset, privacy and cyber security doesn't have to be a luxury.
Copyright 2014 by Shear Law, LLC. All rights reserved.
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