Show Network Security – A Time of Major Transition
Computer networks have become a critical part of control and media distribution for concerts, theater productions, and other live events – and in theme parks, escape rooms, museums, and other permanently installed entertainment attractions throughout the world. As show technology evolved, simple serial point to point control protocols were initially ported onto the network while, eventually, network-centric open and proprietary protocols control were developed. In addition, network-based media transport solutions have become the primary solution for low- latency distribution of live audio and video. However, few of the standards and protocols in widespread use today have any intrinsic security features, and the industry has relied primarily on “security through obscurity” and physical access control to small, closed, offline systems. While the need for enhanced security solutions has grown along with the industry, the roll out of the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which mandates security, has made clear that solutions must be developed sooner rather than later. The entertainment technology industry has responded with two primary solutions: ESTA’s proposed ANSI standard BSR E1.88 Framework for Entertainment Network Cybersecurity and Efficiency (FENCE), and Singularity’s independently developed, free to use Sig-Net. How all this will shake out is unknown, but this talk will provide background on the issues and the current status of the solutions.
Sunday 1400 Grand Ballroom