The HBO fantasy-drama Game of Thrones is one of the most popular TV shows of all time, with showings in 170 countries. It is also the most downloaded show ever, period. And it's not hard to see why. The show combines quality acting, political intrigue, romance and dragons! A winning recipe for today's television audience.
Unfortunately, this also makes GoT a target for cybercrime. At the time of this article's writing, two episodes have leaked in two weeks! Admittedly, for different reasons though.
If you want to protect your organization from the financial consequences of a similar data breach, you'll need to invest in a cybersecurity policy from a reputable provider. Visit CyberPolicy to find the policy best fit for your company's needs.
When the "Dragon Bump" Meets the Data Dump
The first thing we need to discuss is data breach. Now, there are essentially two types of data breach - leaks and hacks. A leak can be internal or external, accidental or intentional. A hack, on the other hand, is an intentional incursion by an unauthorized user, internal or external. In the past few weeks, HBO has experienced both!
The first incident occurred in late July when a hacker group contacted several journalists claiming responsibility for breaching 1.5 terabytes of HBO's proprietary content, including episodes of Ballers, Room 104 and Game of Thrones. The hackers demanded a hefty ransom of \"six month salary [sic]\" from the organization in order to prevent further leaks.
HBO refused to pay the extortion fee. Shortly after, the group leaked personal contact information on several of the top actors, along with private email from the vice president of HBO's film programming.
The second incident was a leak, not a hack. According to reports, a third-party vendor accidentally uploaded the episode to HBO España and HBO Nordic. It has since been pulled from the sites, but not before it was leaked across the internet.
It is not immediately clear how much these leaks have impacted HBO's revenue. But seeing how HBO's streaming apps have quadrupled in demand and tripled in in-app revenue in the days following the season premier alone, the leaks could have a serious consequences for the "dragon economy."
So, what can your business learn from Game of Thrones?
Thankfully, you can overcome data breach by investing in a cybersecurity insurance policy from CyberPolicy. For instance, first-party cyber insurance protects businesses from financial damages associated with hacking, digital incursion and cyber extortion.
Or you can take things to the next level by investing in third-party protections which include financial restitution in the event that an external partner accidentally leaks your valuable data.
So, if you want to protect your small business empire from virtual invaders, do the right thing and contact CyberPolicy today!
