Sony: The World's Largest Breach

Case Study #8

Sony: The World’s Largest Data Breach?

According to the case, Sony had several weaknesses when it came to security and control, and as a result of this, 77 million users were affected with breaches to their personal information. Based on the explanation of computer security experts, the data breach was a result of management failure, sloppy procedures, lack of training, etc. However, this was most likely one small factor to this breach. The major reason why this happened was because PlayStation Network was using an older version of the Apache Web server which was known to have security issues. To make matters worse, Sony also had a very poor firewall protection. This made it easy for Hackers to breach PlayStation Network, and once they were in, critical information such as credit cards, etc. was available to them as Sony did not encrypt such information. Had only Sony managed their security with more up to date technology, a more informed workforce, and better procedures, a breach as such could have been avoided.

There are several factors that contributed to this problem. First, the main management related problem would be its failure to make decisions to upgrade their security system. Management should be aware of the faults and flaws in their security system, and should ensure that such faults are fixed to avoid future problems. However, this was evidently ignored, as Sony was found using older Apache servers that were known to be vulnerable to threats.

Second, major technological factors would include the usage of an outdated software, and poor firewall protection. Sony had several servers that were hit, including a breach on Sony pictures. This shows how Sony did not prioritize its technological assets. If Sony had implemented up-to-date technology, such as by using newer apache servers, having a more improved firewall, and an overall improved infrastructure for security, this breach could have been easily prevented.