Media Cyber Security
- By Greg Allardice
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- 17 May, 2018
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Cyber Security is essential for the media industry
Chief Technology Officer of Symantec at Cebit Sydney held Tuesday 15th May 2018
Dr Thompson’s comments are very relevant to the media industry given the rise of social and online media plus the potential for cyber crime associated with these mediums
Interview topic -
" A global perspective on the coming trends in cyber security and how significant innovation, deep integration and new approaches can thwart the growing proficiency of cyber criminals"
Q 1. A system to analyse risk- Is it fool proof ?
Dr Thompson -
Humans have always had an instinctual view around risk in the physical world.
Its something we feel, like intuition, but when we move into technology it’s a little different. Most people have grown up not with seeing the signals of risk or danger such as in a website or an IOT product. They have not had the feedback enough times so that they can build that sixth sense or build that intuition themselves.
So if you look at systems that assess risk on websites, IOT devices and files as an example, Symantec is an interesting case study here.
We see trillions of artifacts a day, files, data points, websites. We have a set of algorithims AI based that we run on those artifacts and we make a guess. I say that explicitly because it is a guess. We try to quantify that risk and we monitor and see if that risk actually materialises. Is it a risk to society and people? We do forensics automatically and it has proven to be reasonably effective.
The attackers know the defenders do this and they constantly look for mechanisms to frustrate that calculation of risk. A simple example - you could figure out a website was risky if it was just registered in the last 24 hours a good indicator. The attackers know this and we rarely see a website used in an attack that is not registered for up to a year.
They realise this is now one of the indicators we are looking for. We have had to evolve those indicators and we have a robust set. This battle will rage on for a very long time as we humans versus humans.
Q 2. Being predictive in security. How up to date is the security?
Dr Thompson –
If I look at the time we spend in “Threat Intelligence” at Symantec I would argue that maybe 30% is focussed on current threats and 70% of effort is spent on predicting the future. Is this particular artifact that is not dangerous right now going to become dangerous at some point in the future. We have successes in that space like how we dealt on both enterprise product side and consumer side, dealt with the wannacry ransom ware attack. So we see places where we are making a difference in predictions in something we have never seen before and we think it’s bad. But there is so much as an industry we can continue to learn, especially from the field of psychology. How does one person trust another in face to face transactions. What is it that instills that trust. You might be introduced by a friend but some things we don’t understand like small details such as facial gestures or something about how you phrase a word. There is a lot to mine in that and the realm of what psychology understands and it will be incredibly important to us as we try to finger print the individuals that create dangerous artifacts.
Q 3. Enterprise security versus personal security. Is there more potential in personal security?
Dr Thompson – I think both constituents need a lot of help. The business needs to think about it’s assets, intellectual property, it’s information, it’s data and it’s user data but it has to consider the humans that work for the enterprise and they have to consider for these humans that work for the business, is that their security hygiene matters. For businesses you will see increasing focus on individual hygiene even when they are not at work. Seperately there has been a real awakening over the last 3 to 4 years as there is now the need to think about personal security where as in the past they had not.
They would think about it if something bad happened to them or someone they know, but now the average person reads about security in the media so often they probably know someone who for instance has gone through a ransom ware attack. Their digital safety they know is important but they don’t know how to defend yet.
On the Norton side of the house we are creating a digital safety platform that will provide security against things like dangerous files, dangerous locations, protection for privacy and protection for the home . So huge potential on both sides I think.
Media Futures publishes articles of interest on the media industry in the constant quest for improving return on media investment. If your media policy, media strategy, media planning, media buying and media audit have not yet addressed Cyber Security, Media Futures suggests you seek out an independent media professional or contact Symantec.
Website: mediafutures.com.au
Hopefully the audience will remember your message or have a call to action where you can sell your products or create a change in perceptions.
Media Licensing on the other hand is an investment into a theme or device in which you have a vested interest. It maybe a song, a musical work, a character, an intellectual property or linked to another brand name that fits with your company brand or service.
As such you are renting or licensing something of substance that becomes an asset over the term of the licence without having to go through the process of creating it yourself. All the hard work has been done, you simply hitch your wagon to the licensed device and grow your presence through the goodwill that comes with it.
Media and Licensing are often overlooked in a desire to spend time in the creative process of making your own theming.
Licensing when done properly and well matched cuts down on wasted time and allows you to prosper through the imagery and persona already in place.
To find out more about media and licensing contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
This pattern has persisted for decades. Possibly because business owners think that people dont spend money or that for some reason people stop using media.
In an age where media usage is portable and the mobile phone is the dominant medium it makes sense to be flexible in your media strategies and take advantage of an audience on the move but still seeking information and content
And yes believe it or not they have money to spend.
Whilst most media usage is focussed around selling your stuff, this more relaxed time of year is when consumer plan for the future and where their next investment or activity is to happen.
Hence content creation and storytelling about who you are, your products and services on offer are valuable.
Consider presenting them in a non retail format that can inform and allow your target market to make informed decisions.
Media does not sleep over the summer period. Make it work for you.
To find out more contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Through building layers of media you build frequency of message that ultimately has an impact which translates into a positive result for your company brand or service.
Like the layers of bark on a tree, media also changes through seasons providing renewal and regrowth.
Consider the number of mediums you choose, how they are rotated, how the time of day messaging works and the duplication or over exposure leading wastage of your budget.
Media layers have proven to be effective over decades of planning and buying.
To find out more contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Every hour new mediums come online or are created through traditional bricks and mortar media owners.
This may seem very exciting and you believe a new untapped audience awaits.
The fact is its the same old audience being fragmented into ever smaller parcels of media.
What is the impact on your business of Media Overload and how do you combat the ever increasing wall of clutter.
The impact is not good. It means you have to spend more for less.
There are 3 clear options.
1. Exit the media business all together
2. Concentrate on smaller niche audiences
3. Spread your budget thinly across multiples of mediums to reach the maximum number of potentials.
Making the right decision depends on many intricate decisions on how you want to structure your business.
Making the wrong choice will set you back by months and regaining lost ground costs even more.
To find out about Media Overload, contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Wednesday 30 October 2019
Credit to CEBIT 2019 for arranging this interview
Here's what Stephen had to say.
Q 1. Has social media peaked? Is there too much of it?
I don’t think social media has peaked.There are still a lot of people in the world who don’t have the internet. In many ways social media is useful like electricity and water. Facebook has 2 .6 billion users and there are 7 billion people on the earth so in that sense there is a long way to go. Social media absorbs our attention and has AI to support it.
Anything of too much can be bad and there are limits and there are limits and how it interfaces with your psychology and emotions.Some of that is not understood and we are starting to understand it.
It can be disconnecting and alarming, like the telephone, how can you talk on that contraption for so long and you cant see them. Humans are adaptable.
Is there too much social media..... I don’t think so, but we need the right kind and right quality of social media.
Q 2. With the recent investigations into social companies, has the integrity of the social sector been damaged?
It depends on your perspective as a user, as a social scientist or an advertiser or government.
They all have slightly different perceptions. We have left the age when social media was universally good.
Thats behind us. There is good and bad in the internet and social media.We tend not to understand the bad things and if we do not understand them then we don’t know how to put in mitigations.
I urge companies like Google and Facebook to open up their platforms and ask the experts to come in and ask what good and bad effect is this having on individuals, societies, politics, how opinions get formed. Some are easy to identify and can be removed but it’s the subtle effects those are the ones we need to understand more deeply.
Q 3. How can SME make money from social media if a bidding system exists?
Facebook is pretty good as a platform and they and others have built tools to reach audiences. Before the internet if you were a coffee shop as an example you could not afford to run TV advts or radio advts or place newspaper advts, the audiences were too big and the advts too expensive.
Social media is built for the long tail of small business that traditional media could not build for.
The fact it is a bidding system should not make any difference as its a sustainable business and if a level is not found then prices come down. There is tension in an auction and small business should not be at a disadvantage to big business.
Q 4. How far can social media go? What are its limits?
The key insight from social media is that it taps into a human desire, to be connected to other people and it uses technology to do that.
There is a lot more energy left in social, we have not seen the end of it.
There are 2.5 billion smart phones now,10 years ago there were none. Theres a long way to go.
Its based on what people want to know. Whats going on in my world.The things that are disruptive and exciting are the advancement of data privacy and and consumers will have more control. The things to watch for the future is virtual technology like VR I phones. As an example if my friend is in Bali I can go surfing on VR with that friend.
Copyright Media Futures
Media Futures interviewed Stephen Sheeler at Cebit 2019
Darling Harbour Sydney October 2019
Website mediafutures.com.au
AI is basically having pre set computer models make your decisions, which means that the data input needs to be done by a human and the computer model is only as good what the human inputs.
AI may be the latest thing however there is one ingredient missing the human interaction between buyer and seller of media space and time. This element has always been the backbone of media relationships and AI needs to be rethought before assuming it will work work for you.
If you are concerned about AI and the long term effects it might have on your business then contact Media Futures
Website medifutures.com.au
The fact remains that media is simply a combination of mediums that delivers an audience. This audience either reacts favourably to your messages or through the sheer volume of messages the audience simply cannot remember your company brand or service.
Media is wrongly perceived as a way to make money.
That silly phrase " monetise" from the media is just another buzz word from those who talk up investing in media with no responsibility on delivering new dollars nor bringing in new paying customers.
In an age where media is now dominated by online and social its too easy to believe that these relatively new mediums can actually bring in new customers and make money. The fact is most of it does not work and you are simply shifting your dollars from traditional into online and social.
Shifting media dollars into the latest hot media in the hope of a return is a waste of time. This is why media does not work and the loser is you.
If you do seek a better way to invest into the media and get results, contact Media Futures.
Website mediafutures.com.au
Where does this lead?
Down the path to nowhere. No presence, no new customers and no sales.
So the recessionary vicious cycle takes over every thing grinds to a halt.
However those clever business owners who use recessionary media wisely can spend the right amount without going broke and continue to dominate their sector of operation.
How do you find such mediums and use them wisely? The answers and solutions are not in text books or self help blogs or social media.
The solution comes comes from sitting down with an independent media specialist who has endured multiples of recessions, has come out he other side intact and knows how to make the most of whats on offer during these boring recessionary days.
To find out more contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
Apart from a few media companies and agencies that have recession proofed themselves, Australia is seeing daily reports of staff sackings, cost cutting, falling profits and rationalisation.
Has this happened before, yes it has. Will it happen again, yes it will.
As an advertiser what does this fragile media climate mean to you.
It means get right into the market and establish a dominant presence whilst most companies are looking to deal keen deals to gain access to your bank account. What you dont want to do is rush the market and buy volumes of media rubbish and become part of the mindless advertising clutter.
To find out how to maximise your exposure in a media recession contact Media Futures
Website mediafutures.com.au
The media business has morphed into one big blob of communications where there is little or no distinction between media ownerships or between mediums. They all look and sound the same.
What has made this happen?
Simply the convergence of traditional media with the internet and social media.
The single medium is a thing of the past and now any one medium has its 2nd, 3rd, 4th generations in another form.
Media is at the cross roads which poses the question, what medium is right for you and how much do you need to invest to effectively reach your audience.
There is no simple answer as it requires a media specialist to unravel the tangled web of offerings and make sense of what fits best for your business.
Dont follow the pack on what they do, or assume what you did last year will work again this year.
Contact an independent media specialist with no vested interests and dig deeper for the truth.
Website mediafutures.com.au