Securing AV & Media Before It’s Too Late

There’s a strange irony in today’s digital workplace. While companies invest heavily in securing emails, data centers, and laptops, they often ignore the very systems that broadcast their message to the world: cameras, servers, switchers, and media content encoders.

The rise of IP-based technologies and protocols like SMPTE 2110 has redefined how premium content is moved, managed, and shared. Cloud connectivity, real-time collaboration, and remote production are now the norm. 
But while the infrastructure has evolved, the security mindset hasn’t.
Too often, media systems live outside enterprise access credentials and IAM policies. The myth that “AV is covered by IT security” is not just wrong—it’s dangerous.

In reality, these systems often sit in limbo—outside the purview of IT, devoid of basic controls like multi-factor authentication (MFA) or role-based access control (RBAC) and rarely included in enterprise-wide risk assessments. These gaps create easy entry points for attackers—and missed compliance marks for CISOs.

And as hybrid work and global streaming become business-as-usual, this oversight becomes a liability.

The average cost of a data breach now exceeds $4.45 million, according to IBM’s 2023 Data Breach Report¹ . But many AV vendors still rely on unsecured websites, unverified downloads, and even USB sticks to distribute critical patches. These channels are ripe for data theft and manipulation.

Without encrypted, validated patching processes, even a routine software update can become a Trojan horse. To complicate things further, AV vendors often operate on slow patch cycles and delayed deployment due to operational concerns. In 2023, Cisco Cybersecurity reported that 62% of organizations reported incidents arising from delayed or improperly validated software updates.²  So it’s common for vulnerabilities to persist for months—or even longer—before being identified and fixed. Then, it takes even longer to resolve a data breach with the average time to identify and contain a data breach at 277 days, according to IBM.³ This data suggests that the common lifecycle of a vulnerability turned breach spans more than a year.

This kind of lag is an unintentional gift to attackers. Effectively securing your media environment requires validating every update, hardening the entire supply chain, and working exclusively with partners who treat security as non-negotiable. 

Too many AV and media systems are invisible to key stakeholders. They live outside IT monitoring tools, threat detection platforms, and audit processes. That means a rogue update or malicious actor could wreak havoc with no alerts, no logs, and no response plan.

The shift to IP-based media systems—SMPTE 2110, NDI, cloud workflows—means these systems are networked like any other enterprise platform. But unlike core apps and infrastructure, they often lack the same logging, alerting, or incident response coverage.

That lack of visibility extends to compliance, too. Frameworks like OWASP and C2PA are evolving into procurement requirements. Proving integrity is no longer optional. Organizations must ensure that media systems feed into their monitoring infrastructure and are regularly audited for vulnerabilities.

Cyber threats to AV and media technology aren’t some distant possibility. They’re a reality that impacts organizations around the world every year. Over the past decade, numerous cyber incidents have exposed just how vulnerable AV and media systems can be when treated as second-tier IT assets. And when breaches happen, the damage isn’t confined to a single screen or server. Entire operations grind to a halt, broadcasts go dark, revenue pipelines freeze, and the trust of audiences and partners takes a hit.

To see just how widespread and serious these breaches are, visit IDStrong’s Breach Tracker ⁴ or any other breach tracker out there (there are many public sites that track them). These sites maintain an ongoing record of attacks across industries—including media, entertainment, and enterprise environments—that illustrate what happens when systems are left exposed.

These aren’t random events. They’re targeted strikes on infrastructure that wasn’t adequately secured—systems that were essential yet underestimated. In each case, the damage extended far beyond technical cleanup and impacted business continuity, regulatory compliance, and brand reputation.

Cybersecurity is no longer just about risk mitigation—it’s a business differentiator. Organizations that embed security into their media infrastructure are poised to move faster, earn greater trust, and win more business.

With procurement teams and regulators increasingly asking for proof of security maturity, having AV systems that are secure-by-design gives organizations a competitive edge. Frameworks like C2PA will soon require verifiable authenticity across content pipelines. It won’t be enough to say a file is original—you’ll have to prove it hasn’t been tampered with.

Those who prepare now won’t just avoid breaches—they’ll lead. Those who delay will find themselves scrambling when the next RFP demands compliance they can’t meet.

That’s where expert partners like Diversified and GroCyber come in. From assessment and architecture to implementation and monitoring, we help organizations embed security from day one—without sacrificing creativity or control.

Integrate AV systems into enterprise IAM from the start. Use MFA and RBAC to ensure only the right people have the right access at the right time.

Treat patching like a security-critical operation. Demand encryption, validation, and trusted delivery from your vendors.

If you can’t see it, you can’t secure it. Bring AV and media systems into your monitoring and alerting infrastructure.

Tear down silos between IT, AV, and cybersecurity. AV deserves the same governance, controls, and oversight as the rest of your digital ecosystem.