One of the largest book distribution companies in the world has announced a recent data breach.
Following a hack on one of its supported platforms for digital content, Ingram Content Group revealed that several publishers’ book titles were downloaded illegally.
Protecting digital content and intellectual properties is essential for intermediate operations like distributors. At Galaxkey, we have developed a secure platform used by governments, educational institutions, and enterprises to safeguard stored content, whether it is backed up on hard drives, at rest or being transmitted.
The need for a secure platform for users
Based in Tennessee, the Ingram Content Group revealed titles were downloaded when a customer’s designated CoreSource account was accessed without the appropriate authorisation. CoreSource is part of Lighting Source, Ingram’s print-on-demand business unit and the name of the platform designed with publishers’ needs in mind. Its capabilities allow users to manage, store and distribute printed works and audiobooks (including digital format eBooks) across the world and is currently used by over 37,000 publishing companies internationally.
A statement from CoreSource announced:
“(We) learned that a CoreSource customer’s account was used for unauthorised downloads of some publishers’ titles. Immediately upon identifying the unauthorised access and suspect downloads, we launched a thorough investigation, took measures to disable the impacted accounts and blocked any further unauthorised access. We also engaged a third-party professional computer security firm to assist.”
A page on CoreSource’s benefits can be found on Ingram’s website, and states that it provides a high level of protection for publishers’ content, but not every platform is completely secure.
For comprehensive data protection, platforms that allow customers to manage their own interests must have end-to-end security. That’s why at Galaxkey, we have developed a system where no passwords or keys are ever stored, and zero backdoors are present. User identities are set up with access rights ensuring situations like the CoreSource incident cannot occur and content stored cannot be stolen.
Client confidentiality and increased security
The Ingram Content Group presently ships over 19 million book titles to sellers, educators and libraries throughout the US. The enterprise also operates a dedicated print-on-demand service from its facilities in the US, Australia, UK, and France, and offers digital distribution for educators via MyiLibrary and VitalSource.
A statement issued by the firm commented that full details could not be disclosed while the incident was under investigation, and added:
“We highly value the security and confidentiality of our clients’ works and are taking steps to further enhance our existing security measures. We will continue to assess additional measures that may further ensure the security and confidentiality of our clients’ works.”
The Galaxkey secure platform has been designed to safeguard companies from hacks with a three-layer encryption model. While offering the highest possible level of data protection, it also provides customers with a user-friendly interface to ensure it is always used correctly. After all, overly complicated security solutions can sometimes become vulnerable when users do not fully understand how to operate them.
