Entertain, but analyze the risks too

There are multiple factors that make OTT platforms vulnerable to cyber risks. Similarly, there are multiple possible ways to manage these risks

- JAGDISH MAHAPATRA

In the past few years, over-the-top (OTT) services or digital video and TV streaming services have witnessed a rapidly expanding customer base globally. In India, there was a 30% rise in paid subscribers, from 22.2 million to 29 million in March and July 2020 alone, owing to lockdowns and quarantine measures across the country that led to a temporary closure of multiplexes and entertainment theatres.

However, as OTT service providers continue to grow their customer base, there are some associated challenges to consider. For example, the safety of their customer data stored in their application and the threats lurking in the unmanaged devices used for streaming. The size of the market and multiple endpoints being used provide malicious cyber actors with an opportunity to exploit vulnerabilities in web and mobile-based OTT applications for their financial gain. And there are multiple factors that make OTT platforms vulnerable to cyber risks. Similarly, there are multiple possible ways to manage these risks.

Data privacy

One of the greatest threats to privacy and personally identifiable information (PII) today comes in the form of data breaches. Extremely personal data is often used to hack into financial records. OTT platforms have customers’ login credentials like name, email address, phone number along with credit card and bank account information for subscription purposes. The theft of such credentials constitutes a data breach, and the most common outcome of data from these breaches is to sell this personal information or release it in a public domain.