The Problem With Sony What to Do When the Hackers Come

¶ … hacking of Sony's network information systems last year that led to the pulling of a big-budget comedy from theaters and the resignation of head Amy Pascal remains a current problem for businesses and not just Sony. As The Wall Street Journal reports, this incident shines a light on the protection that businesses need against hackers -- but it also highlights the need for management to communicate with more self-awareness, always considering that someone somewhere might be listening. Words do come back to haunt us, as Amy Pascal has learned the hard way. Fritz (2015) of the Journal reports that "Ms. Pascal was outraged and upset at the way her emails were picked apart by the media and even found herself chased by paparazzi amid the controversy over whether Sony would release the Seth Rogen comedy "The Interview," which the hackers -- said to be connected to North Korea -- wanted to keep out of theaters." The hot button issue here is two-fold: first, cyber security; second, management not using derogatory terms or slurs in private communications.

The lesson here is that systems need to be tighter. Every business should be guarded against cyber attacks. The symptom -- the political fallout of exposure -- is not the real cause. The real cause is a lack of security -- and not just cyber security. Pascal acted without discretion when she used negative language in her correspondence. This was not the type of discretion that executives should show in leadership positions and when the public found out as a result of the hack, the root problem was revealed: poor leadership at Sony. The advantage to this problem is that it exposed a weakness in the system; the disadvantage of course was that it cost persons their jobs and their security.

Fritz, B. (2015). Amy Pascal Steps Down as Head of Sony's Film Business. The Wall

Street Journal. Retrieved from http://www.wsj.com/articles/amy-pascal-steps-down-as-head-of-sony-pictures-film-business-1423157351

Discussion Topic 2: (1 Page)

How secure are businesses and organizations from cyber attacks? Groups like Anonymous are now well-known for striking out at organizations that pose a threat to public safety. Fox News recently reported that Anonymous hacked into the Cincinnati Police Department's database and published a list of police addresses following a shooting that took the life of a black man in the city.

The problem here is two-fold: first, there is a lack of security infrastructure in businesses and organizations when it comes to cyber security as this incident, the incident at Sony last year and several other instances show. Second, there is a lack of propriety on the part of workers that causes companies and businesses to become a target of hackers, who want to expose companies and attack them for perceived mistreatment of others. Thus, what can companies do to protect themselves? The answer must also be two-fold: first, there must be a better cyber security infrastructure implemented; second, there must be a better workplace organizational culture established so that the company is not perceived as a threat to public safety or to public sensibilities, thus making it secure from drawing unwanted ire from hacker groups like Anonymous.