The Society of Camera Operators has just sent a message to its members regarding one of its social media accounts, as it appears that hackers have seized control of the SOC’s Instagram page.
A letter sent to the Society’s newsletter subscribers said that “the hackers are sophisticated and we will not be able to recover the account,” which actually boasted nearly 50,000 followers before it was targeted for deletion by the hackers. A damn shame, as that’s a mighty impressive number.
In an email to Below the Line, the SOC’s Executive Director, Kristin Petrovich, wrote:
“We are devastated. Mostly for all of our followers and community members who might not realize the account was hacked and [is] no longer available to them. We use Instagram to not only stay connected and make announcements, but to also spotlight those in the industry, celebrate accomplishments, network, and to hold space for camera operators and aspiring talent. We would like to encourage everyone to follow our new account @SocietyofCameraOperators — like others who have been hacked, we will rise and rebuild our Instagram community!”
The incident recalls the Sony hack of several years back, albeit on a much smaller scale, as no one’s personal information appears to have been compromised. I know hackers have also targeted post-production houses in recent years as well, underscoring the need for tight security throughout Hollywood.
It seems like someone is always trying to hack my Facebook in the middle of the night, which is why I use two-factor authorization, and you probably should as well. Consider this a lesson learned for the SOC. Maybe Mark Zuckerberg could work on this issue in the coming Metaverse, ya know?
The full letter is below:
SOC Instagram Followers,
This message is alert you that the Society of Camera Operators Instagram account has been hacked and is no longer under our control.
The hackers are sophisticated and we will not be able to recover the account. We will be opening a new account and will announce the details shortly. We look forward to your support in building our new Instagram following and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
The Society of Camera Operators
A screenshot of the SOC’s original Instagram account is below, but you can stand in solidarity with the group by following its new account right here. As of this writing, the account had reached triple digits.
