If you’re a media company tracking entertainment rights to hundreds, thousands, or perhaps millions of titles, the cybersecurity of your rights management application should probably be at the top of your priorities—if it isn’t already. Cyberattackers are increasingly targeting digital companies, hoping to steal the confidential data these companies manage. 

Today, application security is a must-have, regardless of the size of your business or the types of data you handle. In this post, we’ll cover four essential application security features that ensure your business securely manages entertainment rights.

#1 – Web Application Scanning

Today, most enterprise applications—including those in the entertainment rights management industry—send and receive data over the Internet. However, potential flaws in these applications’ security configurations could render them susceptible to cybersecurity threats such as web application security risks. 

For cyber attackers, any flaws in web application security provide loopholes to access your systems and data.

Within the digital media industry, web application security scanning such as dynamic application security testing (DAST) is one of the best tools to identify security risks early on, especially for rights management applications that handle large amounts of confidential or proprietary information.

These scanners can quickly detect these security risks based on the intelligence provided by organizations like the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP). 

Specifically, the OWASP releases a list of top risks to web application security configurations, including:

• Failure to encrypt applications and prevent cyber attackers from accessing company data
• Security misconfigurations that make web applications prone to cyber threats
• Delays in replacing outdated components of web application security features 

FilmTrack’s security team uses the OWASP list of web application security risks to discover flaws in its rights management software and address them before they impact our customers’ data. 

#2 – Code Review 

At any software company, developers work fast and tirelessly to build code that gives customers the best user experience. However, even the most carefully designed code can include configuration errors. 

Code reviews find these errors before the software is released to customers by evaluating the following: 

• Appropriateness of software design
• Intended system functionality
• Alignment with developer documentation
• Proper use of naming conventions

Failure to speedily identify and correct errors in code can significantly impact your application security. 

At FilmTrack, we have established manual code reviews, as well as automated methods such as static application security testing (SAST) for reviewing millions of lines of code our developers build, ensuring customers use secure rights management tools at their media companies.

#3 – Penetration Testing

Penetration testing is another commonly used application security tool in today’s cybersecurity market. A penetration test simulates a real-time cyber attack on your company’s security systems to find areas of weakness that attackers can exploit. 

These tests are not designed just for applications. They can also test other components of your company’s IT infrastructure, e.g., networks, databases, etc.

Routine penetration testing is essential for any company that manages entertainment rights because an application whose code appears secure today may develop flaws within weeks to months of the last penetration test. If left unresolved, these configuration errors can develop into serious security vulnerabilities that risk your company’s data security.

FilmTrack leverages the expertise of trusted third-party penetration testers to evaluate its rights management application for security vulnerabilities. If these penetration testing vendors identify misconfigurations in our application, our team works to resolve these configuration issues quickly so that the rights management system remains secure for our clients.

#4 – Differentiated Hosting

Customized cloud hosting is essential in today’s rapidly advancing cloud computing landscape. Just imagine the differences in systems and scale between a small media startup operating in one city and a larger company with offices and studios across two or more continents. Hosting these companies’ databases requires tailored cloud computing solutions. 

To meet these needs, a rights management company like FilmTrack provides differentiated housing as an avenue for these media companies to uniquely define how they build and secure their databases via schemas.

FilmTrack’s differentiated hosting options include:

• Isolating clients’ schemas such that two different clients do not share a database, minimizing potential disruption risks
• Customized hosting for enterprise-level media companies that handle large amounts of sensitive data
• Segmenting data management, enabling two or more different departments in a company to keep their data and files separate for business reasons
• Streamlining compliance for global media companies that are subject to regulations like the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy regulations 

Even for two similar companies operating under the same parent company, data privacy and security obligations may necessitate keeping processes like data management separate, especially if operations are in different geographic regions. 

Combined, these features will secure your rights management application—enabling you to focus on managing rights and tracking royalties for the different media you distribute.

Understanding Security in Rights Management 

Media companies that track royalties and distribution are highly concerned about security, not only when doing business but also when selecting a new rights management platform. They are looking for solutions that deliver:

• The capacity to record every transaction – who is getting paid and how much – and securely store all information in the cloud.
• Application security that protects access to the information behind the screen to provide database-level protection.
• Security standards that go beyond those provided by a standalone software company – as evidenced by certifications that meet incredibly high standards. 

Our new ebook, The Critical Role of Security in Entertainment Rights Management, highlights critical security elements you need from your rights management platform. Download to learn more.

FilmTrack is an RBC company and a subsidiary of City National Bank Member FDIC. City National Bank is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.

This article is for general information and education only. FilmTrack does not warrant that it is accurate or complete. Opinions expressed and estimates or projections given are those of the authors or persons quoted as of the date of the article with no obligation to update or notify of inaccuracy or change. This article may not be reproduced, distributed or further published by any person without the written consent of FilmTrack. Please cite source when quoting. 

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