Live Video Streaming: Overcoming Security Obstacles

Multiple billions of hours of live video content is being streamed every year, popular for both consumers and commercial enterprises. Live video streaming is revolutionizing online education, marketing, entertainment, human resources, and more industry sectors across the globe. Nothing is more compelling and authentic than live video.

Companies need live video streaming to create effective webinars, online courses, keynote speeches, virtual summit workshops, and more immersive video content. Live videos can be used at nearly every stage of your sales funnel, which speaks to its marketing value and ROI.

Video streaming is not just a marketing asset. It is also essential for enterprise business communication. Streaming literally “streamlines” communication between departments, partners, and vendors. It allows business associates to conduct meetings with shareholders across the globe.

With any new innovation comes a new batch of security concerns, and video stream content is no different. It is only the start of 2020, but the year has already seen its fair share of headline-grabbing cyber-attacks. Moreover, streaming is introducing security concerns industries have never seen before.

You need your own plan of attack against live stream security threats. Here are the most critical security challenges and solutions to know in 2020.

Copyright Infringement and Intellectual Property Concerns

The internet has created a copyright infringement nightmare for video content creators. Whether you are a small business or a multi-national corporation, your video content is susceptible to theft or worse. Whether you are creating private or published live video content, you need a strategy to combat copyright infringement and intellectual property theft.

Your live streaming security plan starts with getting your employees on the same page. Draft a security policy that prohibits the sharing of private video material externally. Live video content can contain proprietary information, like unreleased products, apps, and business strategies.

Spilling the beans to competitors is just one issue to worry about. Incorporate this update into your existing social media use policy.

Censor Yourself While Streaming

You are living in a “big data” world. As such, you must be extra careful about the type of content you include in live streams.

If you create live video for public consumption, do not include private information like personal phone numbers, employee street addresses, passwords, names of pets, birthdays, or any other identifiable information. Hackers frequently use published personal data to break into business networks.

Do not include any sensitive or proprietary information in public video material. Do not include any designs, secret ingredients, and code that could be copied — this point is especially critical if you do not have a patent.

Video Stream Grabbing 

There are a few tricks bad actors use to steal live video content.  Stream grabbing is a very real security concern for businesses in 2020. Within seconds, someone can steal and upload your stream content to any video platform. They can even profit from stolen content by monetizing their uploads. This is a common problem on YouTube.

Someone may be generating views and revenue from your stolen streams right now without you realizing it. That is why it is essential to monitor online publishing platforms for stolen live video content.

Monitoring only catches the problem after it has occurred, however. It is critical to do what you can to prevent bad actors from stealing your streams in real-time.

Stream from a Secure Enterprise Video Platform 

One way to stop bad actors in their tracks is to switch to an enterprise video platform. You can still use your streaming platform of choice, like YouTube or Vimeo. However, going through an enterprise video platform gives you added security.

An enterprise video platform also comes with a built-in dashboard that lets you monitor your stream performance in real-time. Using YouTube alone provides minimal insight into performance, while an eCDN dashboard prevents technical problems as you stream. Thus, you do not have to stop your stream to fix potential security mistakes.

Authorized Streaming

Imagine this nightmare scenario: a disgruntled former employee logs into the company’s YouTube account and creates a damaging video for everyone to see, including shareholders. This is just one reason to switch to a secure enterprise video platform.

You cannot afford the consequences of a security mistake, especially on live video. Invest in a platform that allows only authorized users to stream content. Your enterprise video platform will use an Active Directory service to import and edit authorized user lists —  this will ensure that your authorized user database is up to date at all times.

Cloud is the New Security Ideal 

Improved streaming security also requires a server upgrade. It is time to ditch problematic shared servers for security cloud solutions. The Vbrick enterprise video platform is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), one of the world’s leading cloud infrastructure services.

AWS uses the most secure data centers in the industry to enable fast and secure video performance that is built to scale. Both physical hardware and AWS coding environments are designed for optimal security, so you can expect close attention to detail from AWS security experts on-site and remotely.

World-Class Security Standards

A secure operational layer is essential for live stream security. The Rev  enterprise video platform is built with NIST SP 800-53 Revision 4, which is an industry-standard security and privacy requirement for U.S. federal systems.

Rev is also FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program ) certified. FedRAMP outlines standards for cloud monitoring, security authorization, and assessment.

Internet Analytics to Improve Streaming Security

Continuous monitoring of cloud-based video streaming is critical for maintaining security. You also need a way to interpret data to achieve best results for performance and security.

Rev  comes with built-in analytics right out of the box. Monitor real-time data like views, interactions, user bandwidth, authorized users, network performance, and devices.  Analytics is essential across departments, from human resources to marketing. You can watch engagement peaks and drop-offs in real time. See, which devices are, used the most to consume content. While this data is important for understanding employees and consumer behavior, it is critical for security too.

Mobile devices play an important role in streaming security, especially if your company has an enterprise mobility strategy. If your employees are consuming live streams from an unauthorized mobile device, that is a problem. That opens up your company to a slew of vulnerabilities.

Under an enterprise mobility strategy, employees only use devices approved and distributed by the company. This means each employee uses the same make and model for his or her company devices.

These devices have secure and encrypted passwords, networks, and data recovery tools.

To ensure that live video content is safe, you must have the ability to immediately cut off access to enterprise mobility devices from terminated employees. As well, employees who retire or resign from their position must have their devices shut off to avoid security issues. This is critical if you use private live streaming to conduct company meetings.

For optimal streaming security, pair your enterprise mobility strategy with your enterprise video platform. Both provide airtight security and real-time monitoring to prevent security hazards.

Improve Password Security 

Passwords play such an important role in live stream security that it does not hurt to get a refresher from time-to-time.

The last thing you want is to compromise video security with a simple password mistake. Make sure your passwords are long and contain a good mix of numbers, letters, and special characters. You should include a mix of both upper and lowercase letters, as well.

Never include personal or identifiable information in your passwords. Remember, hackers are watching your public live streams for any data they can use to exploit your company.

Never include the following information in your passwords:

• Birthdays
• Names
• Job titles
• Addresses
• Astrological signs
• Names of pets or children
• Nicknames
• Favorite foods
• Favorites movies, shows, or celebrities

Even inside jokes are a problem. Avoid any words that you may include in a live stream, like pop culture references or industry lingo.

Never email passwords to personal email addresses or send them to colleagues via text. Never DM passwords on social media. Do not write down password on pieces of paper or post-it notes, since this information can easily show up in a live stream.

Create More Secure Streams

It is time to make video stream security a part of your overall business security strategy. Do not pay the price for not securing your live streams. Discover the benefits of using an enterprise video platform for your live streaming needs. Are you ready to go live right now? Secure your streams from the get-go. Contact us today to set up your new enterprise video platform.