The German media industry invests a lot of money in the security of its IT systems. For good reason: According to a new study, half of the publishers surveyed have recently fallen victim to attacks on the Internet.
Media companies in Germany are increasingly becoming victims of criminals on the Internet and are responding with increased security precautions. According to one, every second publisher surveyed has been the target of at least one cyber attack in the past twelve months study the Media Association of the Free Press (MVFP), the consulting firm KPMG and the Institute for Digital Management and New Media at the University of Munich. A total of 118 German publishers were surveyed.
In the survey, around 75 percent of companies stated that cybersecurity was a very high priority. And that costs money: At 45 percent of media companies, investments in IT security amount to around one percent of annual sales, it is said.
But despite all efforts, the attacks are increasing: almost 40 percent of those attacked had at least one attack successful. “The effects of the attacks are serious,” warned institute director Thomas Hess from the University of Munich.
Business is restricted by attacks
Despite precautions such as data backup, access controls and staff training, cases of phishing (42 percent), the use of ransomware (38 percent) and data leaks (31 percent) are particularly common. Phishing is the covert extraction of access data or other protected information.
What is ransomware?
Ransomware is a term used to describe malicious programs that restrict or prevent victims from accessing data and systems, for example by encrypting all hard drives. The attackers demand a ransom for decryption, the English term for this is “ransom”.
Half of those who fell victim to cybercriminals reported a noticeable disruption to their business operations. Almost a quarter experienced data loss and financial losses, and twelve percent said they suffered damage to their image when an attack became known.
Almost all media companies have to deal with the issue: In response to cyber attacks, 81 percent of the publishers surveyed have checked their security measures and strengthened protective mechanisms, and the clear majority also expect the dangers to increase in the next two to three years.
That’s why publishers are attractive targets
“Publishing companies are a particularly attractive target for cybercrime,” explained the MVFP. They have a large inventory of extensive user data and the potential for blackmail if identity data is stolen from areas such as politics and celebrities is high. Furthermore, the credibility of media brands is suitable for misuse to spread fake news and political propaganda.