How would you like a devious Christian Slater breaking into your doctor’s computers, altering the dosages on your prescriptions? No? Well, HP has created a video series to show you just what would happen in that scenario.

The famous actor, who stars in the cybersecurity-themed TV series Mr. Robot, plays The Wolf in the web video series of the same name. Wolves hunt for the weak, he says. And throughout the latest video in the video series he finds weaknesses in a hospital’s security stance, implanting malware that enables him to alter the dosage of the chief information security officer’s medications, knocking him out of the picture, and to steal millions of patient records. Ill-secured computers and printers do nothing to stop the crafty Christian Slater, The Wolf.

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The sharply produced videos on healthcare cybersecurity are designed to sell HP’s computers and printers, of course, which the company claims are fortified to thwart the kinds of attacks that The Wolf successfully undertook.

“Last year, more than 4 billion data records were compromised worldwide, representing a 400 percent increase over the previous two years,” said Cindy Ibaibarriaga in HP print security marketing. “Four months ago, we debuted The Wolf, the first in a series of global initiatives to elevate awareness of the growing security risks businesses face. The Wolf is a dramatic web series that highlights how corporate networks can be hacked through real vulnerabilities in under-secured printers and PCs.”

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Last month HP launched The Wolf season 2, which focuses on vulnerabilities in the healthcare industry.

“With the growing volume and sophistication of cybercrime, firewalls are not enough to protect companies,” Ibaibarriaga said. “Network endpoints like printers and PCs can be the weakest link on the network. It is time for companies to extend their security strategies.”

Season 1 of The Wolf received more than 123,000 hours of video consumption in the first two weeks on YouTube, and more than 12.6 million views in the first two and a half months, HP reported.

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“We hope that dramatizing cybersecurity scenarios will effectively raise the awareness of the threats to data, documents and devices,” she added. “IT and security professionals know all too well that the threats are real, and we hope these films help them better understand endpoint vulnerabilities and how to close these gaps in their security.”

But the big question is: Why Christian Slater?

“Christian Slater is a globally recognized actor and a 2017 Golden Globe Nominee with a huge fan base,” Ibaibarriaga said. “We wanted The Wolf character to be believably sinister while still having fun. Christian Slater’s ability to play a charmingly sinister hacker, combined with his popularity in the cybersecurity world, make him the perfect partner to expose security issues that may leave businesses vulnerable to attack.”

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com

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