The Sesame Street YouTube Channel Is Hacked to Show Porn

Hackers have disrupted yet another media outlet's online content. Someone was able to briefly replace the kid-friendly content on the Sesame Street YouTube channel with porn before it could be taken down.

While some have joked that Sesame Street is now brought to you by the letter X, this incident raises serious questions about online security. Media companies are often the target because they will generate more publicity.

Earlier this year, hackers got into Fox News Channel's Twitter page to falsely report President Obama's assassination. They also falsely reported an airline crash at Ground Zero in New York City on the NBC News Twitter page. Late last year, someone was able to break into Gawker sites to expose passwords and sensitive information.

It's obvious that Internet security measures aren't stopping people determined to post damaging information or videos on media companies' social media or YouTube sites. Media companies need to act to protect their brand.

First, while it's common for most of us to say "our" Facebook page or "my" Twitter feed, these sites are controlled by outside companies. You're at the mercy of their technical and security abilities. Even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page has been hacked.

That's why you should have staffers designated to monitor your social media and YouTube pages. They should have the authority to act when they see that a page has been hacked. While it's easy to reserve this task for a manager, you can't assume that a problem will be spotted during regular weekday business hours.

Think of your plan as putting a fire extinguisher on the wall of your office with a sign that says, "Break glass in case of emergency." Your entire team needs to know what to do in case your online pages are on fire with explicit or erroneous content.

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