Want to secure Hollywood against hackers? Then you need to start with the Twitter, Instagram and personal email accounts of studio employees.
That’s according to Pete Chronis, SVP and chief information security officer for Turner. “You can’t just stop protecting people at the corporate perimeter,” he said during a recent interview with Variety.
Chronis and his team have been looking to help Turner employees for some time with a Digital Identity Protection Guide, which explains step by step on how to lock down email and social media accounts. Now, they decided to share this guide exclusively with Variety and its readers to help the rest of the industry as well.
Hollywood has been getting serious about digital security ever since the Sony hack back in 2014. But in the age of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, keeping your employees safe online is just as important. That’s especially true for media companies, where participating in social media is often seen as part of the trade. “People’s personal and professional lives, especially in the media, kind of bleed together,” Chronis said.
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Hacked personal accounts can be used to impersonate employees, and ultimately gain access to corporate data. What’s more, hacked social media and leaked personal data can tarnish people’s reputation — and in turn impact their employers. “People’s personal brand has value,” Chronis said.
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In many cases, it’s actually quite easy to beef up your personal online security. Most services now offer so-called two-factor-authentication, requiring a secondary verification method for logins. Using this “is really important,” said Chronis, which is why Turner asks its employees to turn two-factor-authentication for every service that offers it.
Following these recommendations still doesn’t guarantee that users don’t get hacked. “There is no cybersecurity solution,” said Chronis. “All we do is manage the risks.” But that’s still a lot better than doing nothing at all, which is why Turner decided to share the guide with the world, he said. “We want to help people help themselves.”
You can find the full guide, including links to online resources, here.