Sneaky hackers pulled off several high-profile Hollywood cybercrimes recently, and associations should pay close attention to how they did it.

Last month, a hacker (or a group of hackers) obtained unreleased episodes of Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black. They held them for ransom, then leaked episodes online when Netflix wouldn’t pay up. The hacker is threatening to do the same with other entertainment properties from different studios.

Another cybercriminal obtained audio files created by Lady Gaga that were used in the mixing process.

How did they do it? By targeting vendors, “soft targets … that do not have the same resources, security technology, or sense of paranoia” as their corporate clients, reports The New York Times.

Your association’s cybersecurity protocols may be tight enough to thwart most hackers, but are you confident in the security of the vendors that have access to your most valuable data? “The security weaknesses of vendors are increasingly the weaknesses of their clients, no matter how fortified their own networks,” writes Nicole Perlroth.

“The vast majority of breaches—80 percent by some estimates—stem from a supplier or vendor, according to RiskVision, a risk intelligence company,” she adds. “At Target, hackers stole tens of millions of credit card details by penetrating a tiny Pittsburgh refrigeration company that had been given access to the retail chain’s network.”

Take Direction From Members

https://twitter.com/SmoothThePath/status/861913937230671872

Suffering from low member engagement? Amanda Kaiser of Smooth the Path says you can increase it sharply by doing one simple thing: develop a better understanding of your members.

“When we truly understand members, we are forced to act in ways that prompt members to join, drive them to engage, and push them to unhesitatingly renew,” she writes.

A deeper understanding of your members strengthens your empathy for them and will guide every step you take, from organizational strategy to website design.

Other Links of Note

Keep your goals front and center. Meeting designer and facilitator Adrian Segar has tips to help board members internalize your association’s strategic goals.

Are you listening? Ragan’s PR Daily highlights the benefits of social media monitoring.

Your meetings may be too predictable. The Velvet Chainsaw Consulting blog shares five ways to shake up your next conference.

The Netflix show "Orange is the New Black," the recent target of a cyberattack. (Netflix)