Editor’s Note: Effective cybersecurity may be a superior alternative for companies that don’t think their product content should be dictated by criminals.
Cybersecurity Recommendation: Don’t Poke the Bear
Sony hack may illustrate the downside of picking a fight with a skilled cyber adversary.
By Jon Oltsik
The website Urban Dictionary defines the expression “don’t poke the bear” as follows:
A phrase of warning used to prevent oneself or others from asking or doing something that might provoke a negative response from someone or something else.
In literal terms, if you poke a bear for fun it may respond by mauling you. Within cybersecurity, however, “don’t poke the bear” is also a useful rule of thumb. If you antagonize a skilled cyber-adversary, you may quickly find that your organization has been hacked, your website defaced, and your sensitive data stolen. Oh, and if any of these things occur, they will likely result in weeks of unflattering news stories broadcast across the media.
In literal terms, if you poke a bear for fun it may respond by mauling you. Within cybersecurity, however, “don’t poke the bear” is also a useful rule of thumb. If you antagonize a skilled cyber-adversary, you may quickly find that your organization has been hacked, your website defaced, and your sensitive data stolen. Oh, and if any of these things occur, they will likely result in weeks of unflattering news stories broadcast across the media.
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