In its latest survey of members, the DPP has found broadcasters and content providers are far from happy with the cyber security posture of media technology vendors.
The DPP’s The State of Media Technology Security 2024 research project surveyed 59 organisations, with respondents including chief information security officers and product security leaders at some of the biggest organisations in media and broadcasting, as well as key technology providers.
The report’s key insights include:
- Industry technology vendors are much more bullish than media companies about their own level of IT security And suppliers are also more likely to believe their own staff are well informed and vigilant when it comes to cyber security
- Ransomware is seen as the biggest threat to the industry
- Only half of broadcasters and media companies think transformation and technology modernisation initiatives have made the sector more secure.
- Most vendors think their product innovations have better protected content production, management and distribution.
The report strips down responses from both sides and finds that broadcasters believe their technology suppliers need to be doing more.
“The State of Media Technology Security 2024 reveals a striking divide in how media companies and their technology partners approach cyber security,” said DPP editorial director Edward Qualtrough, the research lead and report author.
“Broadcasters are cautious and wary of labelling themselves as ‘secure’; they know in every area of their business and in each media technology workflow from production to distribution there is more that can be done to improve security. Meanwhile, vendors are more likely to take an incredibly optimistic — and perhaps somewhat naive — view of their responsibilities in an increasingly connected ecosystem, and of their capability to respond to the growing threat landscape.”
The research also revealed how media industry tech transformation initiatives have not necessarily led to better security, said the DPP. Content providers said product innovations among their supplier base have added complexity and vulnerabilities to existing media business operations.
However, the vendors who participated in the research believed their products have made the industry more secure in all areas. They responded that broadcasters are rarely willing to sacrifice new features in a media tech product to improve its security.
The full report is available for DPP members to download here.
