The threat of ransomware is a reality for broadcasters, whether local or national, radio or TV, individual stations, station groups, or broadcast networks. With several high-profile incidents making the news over the past year, cybersecurity resources for broadcasters are in high demand. A single attack can be extremely expensive, both in terms of lost revenue and the expense involved in restoring/replacing compromised hardware and software.
And with Next Gen TV moving the industry closer to IP delivery, digital content protection takes on even added urgency. Concerns around cybersecurity for broadcast networks and local stations alike are top-of-mind.
While nothing can guarantee 100% protection, there are several things you can do to help reduce the likelihood of an attack. Below is a list of 10 relatively easy - and (mostly) free - things you can do right now to help better protect yourself.
Install Antivirus Software on All Servers
This may seem obvious but it's surprising how often it's overlooked. There is a cost involved in purchasing antivirus software but it's money well-spent. And once the software is installed, be sure you keep it up to date. Any reputable software will issue updates regularly to address newly identified threats - threats you will be susceptible to if you don't install the updates.
Whitelist Network Traffic on Critical Servers
Whitelisting is the process of allowing only network administrator-approved traffic across your network. This could be allowing access between offices for a specific application and trusting only the specific port across which the traffic travels. Alternatively, you could specify that only communication from a specific IP address or range or IPs is allowed.
Backups
Establish a routine for creating regular backups. Real-time backups are ideal, if possible, but if they're not, think about the maximum age you'd want your backup files to be if you went off the air right now. That's how frequently you should be creating backup files. You should also follow the 3-2-1 standard - 3 copies of every backup, stored in 2 locations, at least 1 off-site.
Air Gap Your Backups
This could probably be included under Backups but it's extremely important, so we're mentioning it on its own. Air gapping means making sure at least one copy of an up-to-date backup is stored in a secure location that is offline, completely isolated from both the internet and your internal LAN. A backup file that has no connection cannot be remotely accessed, and therefore cannot be hacked.
Create a Disaster Recovery Plan
Identify your critical applications and create a defined process for restoring them. Having a plan in place before you need one will save you time - and money - should the unthinkable ever happen.
Patch Management
Make sure all systems and software are up to date, running the latest versions, and that all patches and security updates are installed. Keeping everything up to date will help keep you protected as new vulnerability exploits are identified.
Perform Annual or Semi-Annual Penetration Tests and Intrusion Detection Scans
A penetration test is an intentional attempt to actively exploit weaknesses in a system, to determine the ease (or difficulty) a hacker might face trying to do the same. An intrusion detection scan is a test of your system's ability to identify a potential intrusion and appropriately log the event, as well as alert you, when something suspicious is found.
Deploy Single Sign-On and Multi-Factor Authentication
Single sign-on is the process by which employees access multiple systems and applications by signing on once, with a single username and password. This improves security by allowing those credentials to be stored in a single database, rather than in a separate database for each application, each with varying degrees of security. Single sign-on also reduces the risk of lost, stolen, and even just weak passwords.
Multi-factor authentication is a process requiring additional verification factors beyond the typical username and password combination. A common example is a password used in combination with a verification code sent to a mobile device. Multi-factor authentication significantly improves security because access is granted only if the user provides or has access to at least two of the following: something only the user possesses (i.e. an external token generator or mobile phone); something only the user knows (i.e. a password or a PIN); something only the user is (i.e. biometrics such as a fingerprint or iris scan); and/or somewhere the user is (i.e. connected to a specific network or in a specific GPS location).
Implement and Enforce Strict Password Requirements
A strong password is one that is more than 12-14 characters long, contains a combination of numbers, special characters, both upper and lowercase letters, and includes no real words (not even one with a $ substituted for an s). You can avoid an office full of passwords-on-post-it-notes by employing a good password manager.
Train Employees on Cybersecurity
It's important not to overlook one of the most easily exploited vulnerabilities in any organization: your people. All employees, in all roles, should be thoroughly trained on cybersecurity. They should be instructed on how to recognize a phishing email, how to recognize and avoid clicking suspicious links, and the risks associated with writing down passwords, client credit card or bank account numbers, or other sensitive information.
Your staff should also be trained on how to recognize and avoid falling prey to social engineering, tactics such as pretexting (creating a credible but false pretext, either virtually or in-person, to build trust and obtain confidential information), tailgating (following an authorized person through a controlled entrance
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
14/11/2026
Marcelo Dai's Live Session Captured with URSA Cine Immersive
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
Artist takes viewers on an immersive journe...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
The threat of ransomware is a reality for broadcasters, whether local or national, radio or TV, individual stations, station groups, or broadcast networks. With several high-profile incidents making the news over the past year, cybersecurity resources for broadcasters are in high demand. A single attack can be extremely expensive, both in terms of lost revenue and the expense involved in restoring/replacing compromised hardware and software.
