Having a vision to tackle the hackers

On 27 June 2017, the NotPetya computer malware exploded round the world targeting computers running Microsoft Windows. Unlike previous ransomware viruses, its backend mechanisms to collect bitcoins from infected sites were rather malformed and seemed almost incidental, leaving experts to conclude that it was not built to extort money but simply to infect systems and cause the maximum amount of damage possible.

Whether the computers it took out globally were simply collateral damage in a cyber war between Russia and the Ukraine, as many suspect, is not confirmed. But it does illustrate the complexity of the modern threat landscape for broadcasters.

Robert Silvers, Partner, Litigation, Paul Hastings LLP, says: “The threat to broadcasters is blended with the…