In high-end film and TV production, where valuable media assets are the lifeblood of every project, security control is a top concern for everyone involved. As technology workflows evolve, including review and approval processes, the risks associated with handling and transferring media also evolve.
Companies, such as VOD suppliers, invest heavily in theater productions or TV programs. They aim to ensure their content remains secure and does not end up on the dark web before they can monetize it. They seek a return on their investment. Implementing strong security measures has become essential for conducting business in this industry.
Security solutions for media production
At the forefront of security solutions for media production is EditShare’s EFS (EditShare File System), complemented by its Risk Auditing layer, which provides real-time tracking of every file from inception through to delivery. It records an audit of every time someone touches, moves, copies or modifies a file. It’s like the big brother watching over your facility.
Keeping this auditing trail on its own dedicated drive is important, and that’s exactly what EFS provides. However auditing is only one layer of the security approach that facilities need to take.
Ensure the security of your media
Let’s delve into what you should be aware of to ensure the safety of your media production workflow.
Access management and control: The first line of defense in cybersecurity is access management and control. Managing who or what can access your organization’s media assets is crucial. With unauthorized access often being the starting point of security breaches, effective access control strategies form the bedrock of a secure system.
- Make sure you facility has a SIEM platform, controlling people’s access to the facility and craft editing and comms rooms
- Control who has access to your media assets by implementing strict user authentication and authorization protocols such as AD and SSO
- Utilize role-based access control to assign specific permissions based on job roles and responsibilities in the production process.
- Regularly review and update access privileges to ensure only authorized individuals have access to the valuable content content.
Auditing and Monitoring: Having a powerful auditing and monitoring system is an easy way to identify weaknesses in your workflow. And if a breach does occur, detailed access logs can serve as crucial evidence during forensic investigations. They can unravel an attacker’s path, providing invaluable insights that can help fortify the security infrastructure.
- Leverage EditShare’s EFS auditing layer to track every interaction with your media files in real-time.
- Monitor user activities, file modifications, and access attempts to identify and mitigate security threats.
- Generate comprehensive audit logs and reports for compliance purposes and forensic analysis.
Visible and Forensic Watermarking: Video piracy costs companies billions of dollars a year. Visible and forensic watermarking acts as a fingerprint for your media so that if the worst happens, you can trace it back to the leak and minimize the damage. Take advantage of the most effective theft-deterrent measures using MediaSilo and Screeners’ tamper-resistant, user-specific SafeStream™ watermarks.
- Deter piracy and trace leaks through visible watermarks, including custom text, graphic elements and invisible forensic watermarks.
- Create and share watermark templates for an entire team or user group to unify your security efforts.
- Expand brand identity marketing and keep reviewers mindful of who is making the content with logo watermarking.
Malware Ransomware: Ransomware attacks have risen by 13% in the last five years, costing nearly $1.85 million per incident. Statistics predict a ransomware attack every two seconds by 2031.
- Work collaboratively with Ransomware or Malware software platforms such as Falcon Crowdstrike
Data Backup and Disaster Recovery: Professionals in the media and entertainment industry invest countless hours and resources in producing intellectual property. Without a robust backup strategy, these creations are at risk of loss or corruption. A powerful backup and disaster recovery solution provides the means to protect, preserve, and recover critical media assets.
- Establish backup and disaster recovery mechanisms to protect against data loss or corruption. This is where clients should deploy a HA cluster similar to EFS 450
- Regularly backup your media files to secure off-site locations or AWS cloud storage platforms Via the EditShare Flex Sync Node
- Test your backup and recovery procedures regularly to ensure they are effective in restoring data in the event of a disaster.
Employee Training and Awareness: A highly trained team is an underrated security strategy. Awareness training can significantly decrease human errors, which are a leading cause of data breaches. Training, simulations, and testing train new and safer employee behaviors, reducing the likelihood of human errors.
The best defense is a good offense
Threat assessments are a standard IT security practice for a reason. A thorough threat assessment helps identify gaps in your security posture before hackers do. Regular, ongoing assessments and vulnerability scans help ensure your current measures are effective while helping you make more informed choices around security, expense and performance.
Thanks to the Motion Picture Association’s Trusted Partner Network (TPN), those in the media and entertainment space can easily obtain a third-party assessment that evaluates your system. TPN evaluates your system to ensure you’re up to date on cybersecurity best practices and requirements.
In conclusion
By implementing these security measures and using EditShare’s EFS auditing layer for real-time tracking and monitoring, you can significantly enhance the security of your media production workflow. Remember, protecting sensitive data and your valuable media assets is not just a priority—it’s a necessity when dealing with today’s media conglomerates.
