The fallout from the Sony Pictures leak continued to dominate the headlines during the holiday season. The United States linked North Korea to the hack, a breach that exposed thousands of sensitive files owned by Sony. After threats of further attacks, heated debate about freedom of speech and more, what exactly have we learned about intellectual property rights as we enter 2015? Cyber warfare is trending upward and there’s no telling how damaging it will become.
. The Interview, Seth Rogen movie at the center of the Sony Pictures controversy, was leaked online by hackers, essentially tanking it right out of the gate. The film grossed $1 million in its first week, arguably well below what it could have made had it enjoyed without the leak. There are plenty of conclusions we can draw from this, particularly how intellectual property leaves us vulnerable. Sensitive information can sink a company in the wrong hands.
What’s even more worrisome is we don’t have a solution to cyber warfare. As technology advances, we’re finding our sensitive information and intellectual property is even more at risk. Right now, as you’re reading this, hackers overseas are attacking American companies. While few ultimately prove successful, it won’t be long until you’re reading about the next major leak.
It’s easy to feel helpless in this situation — how can we fight a battle when we don’t even know who the attackers are? And yet this is not the time to despair. We need solutions just as creative as the cloud we rely on to store our personal information. And as a wise person once said, with great power comes great responsibility; utilizing the incredible array of technology at our disposal now inherently involves a certain level of risk. In the age of cyber warfare, it pays to be cautious.