Cybersecurity Challenges Streaming Providers Face
The global video streaming services industry is a multi-billion-dollar market that includes renowned brands such as Disney and Netflix alongside smaller, more niche players. Due to the pandemic, many of these services have experienced a boom in growth over the past two years. With millions of additional users on streaming platforms, it’s no surprise that cybercriminals have noticed the increased demand and are attempting to capitalize on the wealth of consumer data and premium content through sophisticated cyberattacks.
In 2020, the viewing figures for streaming services were up 71% compared to the previous year. The COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to expand their reliance on digital tools, and many organizations are now going completely remote or using a hybrid work environment. Because cybersecurity took a backseat, fraudsters saw an increased opportunity to get into firms’ software and databases and steal data.
Additional Risks and Responsibilities
Many streaming services have struggled to evolve their cybersecurity tools to keep up with the growth of their viewer base, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks such as credential stuffing. Web application security, in particular, has become an Achilles heel for organizations. According to Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report, which contains insights from more than 5,250 confirmed breaches, over 50% of security breaches are hitting web applications (servers).
Application requests are monitored and protected by web application firewalls (WAFs). They examine HTTP requests using a set of rules. These rules may enable or limit access based on IP address, country of origin, headers and/or payload. Static rules are used in some WAFs, whereas dynamic rules are used in others. Static rules can only halt known risks, but dynamic rules allow the WAF to protect against an emerging threat.
Malware, Unwanted Software and Streaming Services
It’s also critical to mention malware and unwanted software while discussing streaming-related issues. When consumers search for alternative sources to obtain a streaming app or a TV episode, they frequently come across malware such as Trojans, spyware and backdoors, as well as harmful software such as adware. With so many companies storing high-value personal data online, it’s easy to forget that they might soon become a cybercriminal’s gold mine, with credit card numbers and other personally identifying information up for grabs. This growing emphasis on customer data underscores how threats are evolving and shows that no industry is immune.
Almost every company has the potential to be the target of malicious cyberattacks. The following are some of the most common cyberattacks streaming providers face:
- Application attacks: Cybercriminals exploit known and unknown vulnerabilities in application architecture and software code.
- Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks: Artificial traffic is used in these attacks to cause a site or service to become inaccessible or slow to respond to legitimate visitors.
- Credential stuffing: Attackers take advantage of the fact that users frequently reuse usernames and passwords across many accounts. Attackers can acquire large lists of stolen credentials on the dark web and use automation to attempt each one to get access to the target service.
Vulnerable Components
The application’s surface area components may be susceptible to attack or vulnerability. Custom code, third-party libraries and integrations are all included. Any one of these components could be vulnerable. If one exists, a bad actor will try to exploit a vulnerability in these components. While the attack surface is always present, the goal is always to minimize it. WAF, DDoS protection and bot detection/mitigation are all cloud-based solutions. Traditionally, the first line of defense against DDoS attacks has been specialized hardware. It still requires regular maintenance and assistance, and it has trouble keeping up with high-volume DDoS attacks. Scrubbing stations, cloud protection and CDN security, on the other hand, are rapidly becoming the preferred methods for such attacks.
Phishing Attempts
One of the most common methods of acquiring account passwords is phishing. Because most movies are now published online, scammers have turned their attention to streaming services. Users sometimes become lax about security, especially if they’re rushing to a website to be the first to view a new episode of their favorite show, for example, which is precisely what scammers take advantage of when constructing phishing websites. In this circumstance, WAFs are helpful because they help to eliminate application vulnerabilities that attackers use to launch DDoS, app, credential stuffing and phishing attacks. They protect servers by analyzing HTTP/HTTPS traffic and enforcing server-client communication rules. App attacks like SQL injections and cross-scripting exploits are well-protected by the WAF.
They can help fight against API risks such as mobile apps, malicious botnet assaults and phishing efforts by ensuring that access policies are up-to-date and enforced. WAF solutions are effective in defending internet applications against cyberattacks. It’s vital to remember that these solutions are constantly evolving, and no technology will ever eliminate all of an application’s problems. Frequently, more than one layer of security is required.
Automated threats
Automated bots that interact with an OTT application infrastructure, particularly essential API services, are protected by bot management systems. A bot might try to imitate a real user, solve a CAPTCHA, acquire data, implant malicious code, test breached credit card numbers and account passwords and so on. To assess whether an automated threat is attempting to access the service, a bot management system examines a variety of signal characteristics of HTTP requests and user agent details. Given that bots account for a large portion of internet traffic, a bot management system can help safeguard an OTT application against malicious behavior.
Whether you’re using online streaming services or social networking sites, it’s more important than ever to keep your data safe. It’s imperative that broadcasters and end users have adequate security procedures to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks and protect users’ data and premium content.
