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How Hollywood Got Hacked: Studio at Center of Netflix Leak Breaks Silence (variety.com)

Earlier this year, hackers obtained and leaked the episodes of TV show Orange Is the New Black. In a candid interview, Larson Studios' chief engineer David Dondorf explained how the audio post-production business allowed the hacker group to gain access to the Netflix original content. Dandorf says the company hired private data security experts to find how it was breached. The investigation found that the hacker group had been searching the internet for PCs running older versions of Windows and stumbled across an old computer at Larson Studios still running Windows 7. From the report: Larson's employees just didn't know all that much about it. Having a computer running an ancient version of Windows on the network was clearly a terrible lack of oversight, as was not properly separating internal servers from the internet. "A lot of what went on was ignorance," admitted Rick Larson. "We are a small company. Did we even know what the content security departments were at our clients? Absolutely not. I couldn't have told you who to call. I can now." It's a fascinating story about how the hacker group first made contact and tried to threaten Larson Studios' president and his wife, and how they responded. Worth a read.

79 comments

  1. Windows 7 is now considered old? by w1zz4 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    i call this bullshit

    1. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by omnichad · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No kidding. Especially if you're trying to run commercial-grade audio production software. Windows 7 doesn't mean a thing for security unless it's the original release without updates.

    2. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      I wonder if Microsoft offered them money behind the scenes to say exactly that.

    3. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by mjwx · · Score: 3, Insightful

      i call this bullshit

      Windows 7 is old, just not obsolete.

      Windows 7 was released in October 2009, which makes it almost 8. Windows XP was released in 2001 and didn't have a suitable successor until October 2009. By that time scale, Win7 is nearing the end of it's life. As long as M$ can create a decent OS after the abortion of Windows 8 and the ad-tastic Windows 10.

      In the terms of OS's, 8 is positively ancient. I remember using Android in 2009, anyone who didn't see the evolution of Android wouldn't believe it was the same OS compared to today. MS has kept it updated, but that doesn't change the fact that it was released many years ago.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    4. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      Windows XP was released in 2001 and didn't have a suitable successor until October 2009.

      It's debatable whether it ever had one.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    5. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Windows is old, and obsolete.

      FTFY :-D

    6. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by ark1 · · Score: 1

      We have to read between the lines. By old they mean "we installed it a few years ago and never bother with this patching thing". My question is why was a Windows 7 box exposed directly Internet? Was it acting as a server? Something like an FTP? Also this made me smile:

      "The company spent an estimated six figures on new security measures, some of which were recommended by the studios."

      Wow six figures. I guess they got a corporate Firewall?

    7. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Desler · · Score: 3, Informative

      Windows 7 was released in October 2009, which makes it almost 8.

      Maybe if you've never updated it in those 8 years. On the other hand, my version of Windows 7 is running code that was just released probably only weeks ago.

      By that time scale, Win7 is nearing the end of it's life.

      Nope, it will continue to get security updates until 2020.

    8. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Dunbal · · Score: 1

      You mean like a company that just paid out a hefty ransom might be tempted to take in some free "advertising" cash?

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    9. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by mea_culpa · · Score: 2

      No kidding. Especially if you're trying to run commercial-grade audio production software. Windows 7 doesn't mean a thing for security unless it's the original release without updates.

      Not only that, but it would have had to have been directly connected to the internet without a firewall for someone to "search the internet for computers running older versions of Windows"

      More fake news. Welcome to current_year.

    10. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1

      ...Windows 7 is old, just not obsolete....

      In spite of your failed attempt to justify the article, I still note that you've still not, and neither has the article, pointed to an underlying cause for Windows 7 being considered "insecure" in this instance. I still am of the opinion that there was another cause that allowed the break-in, one that is too embarrassing to reveal.

    11. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are Ubuntu 10.04 and 8.04 considered old? Windows 7 came out right between those two.

    12. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by arth1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Windows 7 is old, just not obsolete.

      It's mature, not old.
      As of May this year, Windows 7 has 49.5% market share, with Windows 10 only having 26.8%. If anything, that tells you that Windows 10 is immature, not that Windows 7 is old.

      TFA makes absolutely no sense. If they meant MacOS 7, I can understand it. But Windows 7 is still what pretty much every business has as standard, and the 26.8% Windows 10 users being mostly home users who either gave up on the GWX barrage and installed the downgrade, or have bought a new PC where it is pre-installed.

    13. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by arth1 · · Score: 2

      "The company spent an estimated six figures on new security measures, some of which were recommended by the studios."

      Wow six figures. I guess they got a corporate Firewall?

      Six figures per year is what a security minded sysadmin costs. That's peanuts compared to what marketing and legal guys cost, and a much better investment.

    14. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe they shared files and had it directly connected to the internet?

    15. Re: Windows 7 is now considered old? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2020 is just 2.5 years away, so 7 should already be phased out. Depending on the Organization thats not much time for a migration.

    16. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Indeed, they actually used the phrasing "...ancient version of Windows..." As in "From the before time".
      sensational!

    17. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Cederic · · Score: 1

      why was a Windows 7 box exposed directly Internet

      Because it was supporting a business that doesn't have extensive expertise in IT security and was unaware of the business risks that this created.

      They're now aware.

      I'd still like the Dark Overlord to be tracked down and invited to retain that name in jail.

    18. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by strikethree · · Score: 1

      This is a "social engineering" article. The intent is to change perception. In this case, the idea is that you should be on Windows 10 so that there is no ability for you to escape having your internal dialogue be monitored as well as can be done through an operating system.

      In other words, the "content" of the article (what it is ostensibly about) is actually irrelevant. What is relevant is that the public's perception of Windows 7 is altered, even if just by a little. I see this a lot. There is a LOT of social programming going on right now. Much more so than in the past. I am unsure what these developments are heralding, but anytime anyone has majority control of something and seeks more control, the end result will not be good.

      Your instinctive reaction of "bullshit" is spot on, but this article is not meant for you or other people with knowledge of operating systems. It is to sway people who do not have a solid grasp of the situation.

      --
      "Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
    19. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Windows 7 is old, just not obsolete.

      It's mature, not old.

      Pretty much what I meant. However I think the article has been quoted out of context. When I read "old version of Windows" I usually read that as one that is not up to date with patches. Very few bad vulnerabilities hit with no warning. Wannacry for example, patches were out for months before that hit. Long enough for any semi-competent attempt at patch management to get it deployed to production at the very least.

      Most drive-by infections can be avoided simply by keeping your OS and software up to date (but I'm certain I'm preaching to the choir about this on /.)

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    20. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by mjwx · · Score: 1

      ...Windows 7 is old, just not obsolete....

      In spite of your failed attempt to justify the article, I still note that you've still not, and neither has the article, pointed to an underlying cause for Windows 7 being considered "insecure" in this instance. I still am of the opinion that there was another cause that allowed the break-in, one that is too embarrassing to reveal.

      In spite of your failed attempt to read my post, I wasn't, in fact I said MS were keeping Windows 7 updated.

      I never said Windows 7 was inherently insecure, I said it's been almost 8 years since it's release (RTM was Oct 09). The article implied the systems were insecure, but I read that as unpatched. And yes, a Win7 box that is not up to date is insecure. Same as a Win 10, Linux or Mac box that isn't kept up to date.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    21. Re:Windows 7 is now considered old? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are Ubuntu 10.04 and 8.04 considered old? Windows 7 came out right between those two.

      Yes, those are ancient, especially considering it's pretty easy to upgrade Ubuntu. I think we still have a lot of customers on 14.04, but if they were running something as old as 8.04 we'd probably just recommend a full server upgrade along with the OS, since the hardware would be horribly outdated as well.

    22. Re: Windows 7 is now considered old? by Brockmire · · Score: 1

      Fuck you. None of our Ubuntu 8 or 10 servers upgraded in place, they all needed clean installs. What a fucking hassle, bugs everywhere. Switched off that shit whenever I had the chance.

  2. Ancient version of Windows by viperidaenz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    any by ancient, they mean supported until 2020

    1. Re:Ancient version of Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Windows 7 is only supported until 2020 if you're paying M$ for extended support. Otherwise it's EoL and will not receive updates.

    2. Re:Ancient version of Windows by toonces33 · · Score: 0

      Not quite. Security updates will still come until 2020 - *after* 2020 you have to pay extra $$ for what they call "Custom Support". Given what a flop Windows 8 was, it doesn't seem inconceivable that they might extend the 2020 date.

    3. Re:Ancient version of Windows by Desler · · Score: 1

      I don't pay MS and still get updates for my Windows 7 install.

    4. Re: Ancient version of Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mixing up XP with 7? That's a paddlin'.

    5. Re:Ancient version of Windows by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks. With respect to TFA, you're right. But, generally, I was half right. Once Mainstream Support ends and Extended Support begins (which, right, you don't have to pay for after all) you only get security updates.

      So if there's a bug in, say, calc.exe and it's not security related, no dice.

      But security updates are what most would be interested in anyway.

      M$ releasing that XP patch for WannaCry further muddies these policy waters, but it is what it is.

  3. Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I actually read through the whole thing, and what I got out of it was that while paying off the ransom in the past used to result in the outcome you were paying for, you can no longer rely on that to be true.

    So keep good backups and if you get hacked send the attackers the middle finger instead of bitcoin and just let them do whatever, but they can continue to do whatever fed by frozen 7-11 burritos instead of your hard-earned money.

    I do think even after the ransom was paid, they should have let clients know what happened immediately... that is the other big learning point I'd hope other companies take away from this. People understand computers get hacked, they will be sympathetic towards you as long as you are very open about what happened and when and tell everyone as soon as you know.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I would find an ex-military type just out of prison without much money and offer him/her a bunch of money to find the blackmailers and make the problem 'disappear' ... no questions asked.

      If I was really lucky, it would be a group of 4 guys, one older grey haired leader dude who is a tactical genius, one crazy pilot, one huge black guy wearing tons of gold, and one con artist...

    2. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If I was really lucky, it would be a group of 4 guys, one older grey haired leader dude who is a tactical genius, one crazy pilot, one huge black guy wearing tons of gold, and one con artist...

      Great idea, except for nobody ever dying on that show.

    3. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of the argument that double-crossers ironically are doing the most good possible in that segment of the underworld. Sure law enforcement can chase down ransomers but there are multitudes out there to replace them who think 'they won't be so stupid that they'll get caught'. And given their numbers it doesn't even matter if they are right or not.

      However double-crossers what they do is destroy that sordid ecosystem. First they take down vulnerable targets before they can get ransomed and get it through their thick heads that paying ransom doesn't work. Thus they incentive fixing it above all else. Paying the money won't protect you after the fact - only security and backups will and you can't put them off.

    4. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by dwywit · · Score: 3, Insightful

      All good thoughts, but they weren't hit with file-encrypting ransomware, they were hit by people who illegally copied new episodes of a show and threatened to leak said shows if ransom wasn't paid.

      --
      They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    5. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      You just hired an undercover cop...guess what happens next?

      Hint: * becomes O

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    6. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      Same difference really, I just put in the but about the backups in case it was the ransomware kind of attack - which it easily could have been.

      Even if it's not ransomeware though, after a hack like this you have to assume that the hackers may have well inserted some content just for the LOLs. SO you'd want to either inspect it super carefully or roll back (or both).

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    7. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by sl3xd · · Score: 1

      So keep good backups and if you get hacked send the attackers the middle finger instead of bitcoin and just let them do whatever

      Agreed. Because you have zero assurance that they'll do anything except take your money and release the data anyway.

      It's not unlike when kidnappers ransom somebody, take the money, and then kill the victim.

      --
      -- Sometimes you have to turn the lights off in order to see.
    8. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by lgw · · Score: 1

      No one has done anything for the LOLs, or even the lols, for 10+ years. You do it for the keks these days. Do try to keep up with the kids on your lawn.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    9. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can alway count on Seagal or van Damme.

    10. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

      To the contrary; I am on the cutting edge of resurgence of the term. All things come around again in time.

      Also there are no kids on the lawn because I had long ago replaced it with xeriscaping... I sit in a pocket outside time itself, and the world keeps up with me.

      --
      "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    11. Re:Takeaway: Blackmailers no longer reliable by lgw · · Score: 1

      Very Zen man, very Zen.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
  4. Ancient version of Windows? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 2

    That alone puts the entirety of what the "private data security experts" say into question. Windows 7 is still fully supported with security patches. Until 2020. Now, if that had said that the computer was not up to date on patches, that would be a different story. So I have to ask, what problem is this security firm trying to divert attention away from with their apparently false diagnosis?

    1. Re: Ancient version of Windows? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Spear fishing most likely. Always embarrassing to admit you gave the key to a rando.

  5. Reminds me of this cartoon... by QuietLagoon · · Score: 1
  6. Win 7? That is all? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1

    It is more human interest general interest piece. Other than the fact the hack happened via a Windows7 machine that was on the network unbeknownst to the company, there is no info about the technical details of the hack. The attack vector, whether anyone clicked on a spearphish etc. No details at all

    --
    sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
    1. Re:Win 7? That is all? by prunus.avium · · Score: 1

      It's in Variety. You expect an entertainment magazine to understand and report on the technical details? They'd get them wrong anyway.

      From the sounds of it, the hacker group was simply port scanning and got lucky in finding that Windows 7 box that had a hole. Once on that machine, they had complete access to the internal network.

    2. Re:Win 7? That is all? by 140Mandak262Jamuna · · Score: 1
      They had a win7 machine exposed to the net? And it took the hackers this long to find it? Back when I was playing apache server at home, I exposed one port to the net, UDP, nothing standard, some random port I wanted to test. It was hit by probes within 10 minutes. That was 8 years ago.

      It is not simply having a win7. Someone did something dumb. Click on something or opened a booby trapped file.

      --
      sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
  7. The Only Decent Windows Version. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The others are Junk or Like Windows 10 Adware with it calling MS and dumping your Personal Into to Redmond.

    8 and 8.1 wear never going anywhere.

    So In the End we are left with Windows 7 or Unix of some Flavor.

    So if Windows 7 is OLD I guess MS will be going out of Business since I will never advise any of my Clients to use Windows Much less Windows 10.

    1. Re:The Only Decent Windows Version. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I will never advise any of my Clients to use Windows Much less Windows 10.

      That's OK. They'll buy it anyway.

    2. Re:The Only Decent Windows Version. by omnichad · · Score: 1

      I guess MS will be going out of Business since I will never advise any of my Clients to use Windows

      You just go ahead and keep thinking you drive the market. Isn't that special.

    3. Re: The Only Decent Windows Version. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If all the so called experts would quit sucking the win10 D and made responsible recommendations then we'd be in a much better place.
      Nothing new is ever secure, it's just unfamiliar for now. Win 10 will be wide open soon enough. I bet whatever attack got this studio would work fine on 10 anyways. TFA is so light on details we could assume anything...even a inside job isn't ruled out by these statements.

    4. Re: The Only Decent Windows Version. by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Windows 10 is the same codebase with just a few UI changes here and there. There might be a few new vulnerabilities, but of the vulnerabilities that are found lately most affect Windows versions as far back as XP.

  8. Fuck Windows 10 by sexconker · · Score: 2

    This "article" is horseshit. Windows 7 is still supported and still receiving patches, despite Microsoft's efforts. It is not ancient.
    Fuck you MS, and fuck Windows 10. Windows 10 has had nearly as many vulnerabilities as Windows 7 in recent months, and far more issues with the actual patches, driver updates, and the update process.

    1. Re:Fuck Windows 10 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      " Windows 10 has had nearly as many vulnerabilities as Windows 7 in recent months"
      Source? It is alright to hate something and endlessly complain but if you cannot back up your accusations you should just shut the fuck up. And there are a lot of people on this thread doing the same thing demonstrating that the human stupidity virus is still spreading like wild fire..

    2. Re:Fuck Windows 10 by phorm · · Score: 1

      "Windows 7 is still supported and still receiving patches"

      I do question the latter on a lot of win7 systems, as there seems to be a bug with the updater where at some point it just chokes and refuses to install further updates without manual installation of certain intermediate patches. I've seen this on longer-running win7 systems as well as a fresh-from-disc install, where the updater can sit overnight and still not manage to install a single patch.

      Now this might not be the case with corporate hosts using WSUS or something similar, but I've seen at least a half-dozen or more home desktops with these symptoms in the last year.

    3. Re:Fuck Windows 10 by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Source: MS download servers, my wsyncmgr.log files, the emails MS sends me every month about the CVEs and the affected software, etc.

    4. Re:Fuck Windows 10 by sexconker · · Score: 1

      Windows Update on Windows 7 simply doesn't work if you don't have enough RAM. There's a hotfix for it.
      Even with the hotfix and plenty of RAM, typical behavior is for Windows Update on a fresh install is to fail or just hang on "checking for updates". At that point you can shutdown the service and start it up again, or just reboot, and then check for updates again. I don't remember the last time I had to deal with it (probably around 2 years ago), but the update service eventually completes. The detection it does in the first attempt isn't lost when you restart the service or reboot (unless you manually clear out the files, which a lot of guides for fixing Windows Updates will tell you to do).

      You can also use wsusoffline or similar services to get up to date once and then rely on Windows Update afterward. Windows 7 really needed a second service pack (or a third), but contractually MS has to extend support by X years after the last service pack. That's also why Windows 8.1 existed instead of Windows 8 SP1. They wanted to kill it and kill it fast. And that's why Windows 10 has abandoned the idea completely. There a half step away from formalizing it as Windows (Year) and moving to a full-on subscription model.

    5. Re:Fuck Windows 10 by wbo · · Score: 1

      That typically only occurs if the machine hasn't been updated in quite some time or is far behind on updates for some reason (such as a fresh install). There are updates to the Windows Update service that attempt to address most of these but the client still requires a large amount of memory and CPU time when processing a large number of pending updates.

      The best thing to do when you encounter such a system is to manually download and install the latest convince rollup which includes most updates up to the date of the rollup in a single handy install package. After that, the machine should be able to get the few remaining updates via Windows Update and the problem shouldn't reoccur as long as the machine is updated fairly regularly.

    6. Re:Fuck Windows 10 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Didn't everybody turn off Windows Update on 7 when Microsoft was forcing 10 on them?
      I don't know; I've been on Linux over a decade.

  9. Ok, probably just say you took it up the ... by paravis · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Instead of blaming it on an "ancient" version of Windows (by who's standards, I really don't know), they should probably just acknowledge the fact that one of their employees was more than likely surfing the net for porn and clicked a bad link. Of course, that would be totally embarrassing and would probably devalue the company or push away possible new clients. But come on ... Making the "president and his wife" out to be victims ... They put themselves in that situation by allowing the employees on their payroll to compromise their entire network through uncontrolled and insecure internet access. This has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with Windows 7! My goodness ... How the heck is Windows 7 a "lack of oversight" ... Wouldn't a more appropriate attribute for lack of oversight be allowing their employees to compromise invaluable data? Ha. Blame it on the inanimate object ... Of course!

  10. hypenosys overdose... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    CNET

    Virgin got ballsy with the iPhone, and it's great... hard to stay on topic? cease fire stand down... thanks

  11. WTF is with the Slashdot agenda pushing Windows 10 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is echoing comments made already, but I want to take it a step further.

    The summary's insinuation that Windows 7 is somehow old and to blame for this incident is laughable. But it represents something more pernicious: It shows a casual acceptance that "surely you should be running Windows 10 by now". This flies in the face of the numerous show-stopping flaws it has, which ultimately pushed me to suffer with Linux as my main desktop.

    Why is Slashdot pushing this narrative? It's not that we should blindly hate Microsoft; it's just that we can't pretend that there aren't solid reasons to never accept W10. We shouldn't treat those who resist W10 as pariahs and long-bearded weirdos. We should instead be embracing the idea that it would be better if we found an alternative.

    So yeah fuck slashdot for that anti W7 attitude.

  12. Re:WTF is with the Slashdot agenda pushing Windows by omnichad · · Score: 1

    Never attribute to malice....Look, have you seen the editing on this site lately? This article is from Variety.

  13. Re: WTF is with the Slashdot agenda pushing Window by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Ediwhat now?

  14. Proofreading needed by MyrddinBach · · Score: 1

    Article says "on premise" when they meant "on premises."
    I had to stop reading right there..

    1. Re:Proofreading needed by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Yeah, because that's what's wrong with this article.

    2. Re:Proofreading needed by Cederic · · Score: 1

      No, they meant 'on premise'. It's a valid term in common usage and helps immediately in classifying IT infrastructure.

      Some people shorten it to 'on prem', if you really want to twang your knicker elastic.

  15. Post Production Studios Run Much Older Than 7 by un1nsp1red · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Worked at a post-production facility in LA until last year. There's SO much specialized software still currently in use that just can't handle certain operating systems (or the company who made it has since disappeared and is no longer updating the software). We had several NT 4 machines still in use (again, this was in 2016). It wasn't about patching the OS -- there was no way to do it and keep certain necessary software working. Some of it was niche (mastering DVD images [yes, they're still making them]), but if it brings in a few hundred thousand a year, they're going to keep using it until the machines die and can't be resuscitated.

    1. Re:Post Production Studios Run Much Older Than 7 by coryhamma · · Score: 1

      Realistically, there are many, many companies running industrial control systems on Windows PCs older than Windows 7. The issue with this group's management is that they made a decision, whether conscious or unconscious, to not spend an appropriate amount of resources on their network's security. When I refer to resources, I mean security software/hardware and either a cybersecurity consultant or a dedicated staff member with appropriate experience and credentials. Their bid to produce the show to Netflix should have included a line item to cover data security for this project. Security also means keeping backup copies, so they were failing on all sides of the security realm. This garbage about keeping audio and video files separate probably means that the studio is still pinching pennies on their security consultant.

    2. Re:Post Production Studios Run Much Older Than 7 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Windows NT and XP are far superior to the buggy Windows 7.

      It's understandable people still use them.

    3. Re:Post Production Studios Run Much Older Than 7 by un1nsp1red · · Score: 1

      Our shop was going the route of 'calculated risk.' We actually had annual security audits by the MPAA and a couple other certification organizations and they would lie and cheat their way through it. For example, every workstation had to have an 'email machine' which had internet access, but could not access internal resources. The other was their 'work machine' that was supposed to have access to the SAN, but *not* the internet. On the day of the audit, they'd just put a bogus proxy address in Safari (was mostly a Mac shop) so web pages wouldn't load. The machines also were supposed to have USB/Firewire ports locked down so employees couldn't copy content, but that would be enabled only for the day the days of the audits. As soon as the auditor left, the big stack of external drives would come back out of the closet and everyone would go back to sloppy practices. I hated it and eventually got to the point where I told them I would no longer be involved in audits (ethical reasons aside, I'm a terrible liar and I'd be sweating bullets the whole time). I guess they just figured complying with the rules was too cumbersome.

  16. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HIRE A ETHICAL HACKER? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My daughter almost got addicted to doing drugs, but thanks to a capable hacker for helping me gain access to her phone calls , text messages and social media platforms like facebook, whatsapp etc...That was when i found out through a whatsapp chat she was having with a friend of hers she just met in college that she has been influenced badly by that friend of hers into bad habits like smoking marijuana , taking pills and also cocaine.... Getting to know this at a early stage made me able to safe and stop my daughter from drug abuse before she gets in deep and uncontrollable...So i've promised the hacker to share his email address which is spystealth.org(at)gmail(dot)com and also my testimony working with him to the world so you all can know that there is a hacker out there that can help you spy on not only your kids but also your suspected cheating husband/wife.

    1. Re:WOULD YOU LIKE TO HIRE A ETHICAL HACKER? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's bitztream - the autism-hating, custom EpiPen-hating, Musk-hating, Qualcomm-hating Slashdot troll!

  17. So... by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    ...someone at Microsoft's marketing department saw an opportunity here?

    --
    -Styopa
  18. Probably meant UNMONITORED Win7 machine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If they had one Windows 7 machine, the IT employee(s) maintaining their computers probably had no clue it was there. They probably weren't updating it, which explains the security breach.

  19. Score:-5, Pwned by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1
  20. How's life in the hypocrite lane?

  21. When does the movie come out? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That's the important question here. It's Hollywood, so naturally they should roll this into a movie.