Hundreds of Netflix, HBO, Hulu, DirecTV Account Credentials Compromised and Placed for Sale on Dark Web
Admittedly, the task of keeping all your online account and credentials organized is a painstaking task. Finding out that one or more of your accounts have been compromised is a bad feeling that makes you think that you should have taken additional precautions to prevent a cyber-attack. Unfortunately, for hundreds of Netflix, DirecTV, Hulu, and HBO users, their credentials were compromised and placed for sale on the dark web.
The many media streaming and entertainment services that we get to enjoy sometimes become the bane of our existence in the sense of paying many monthly fees. Cybercrooks know the value of such services and are now actively selling off the login credentials on the dark web of hundreds of media entertainment accounts for a price much less than a month of the service's legitimate cost.
The Dark Web is a "dark" place
The dark web has long been known to be a secretive web marketplace and forum that hackers converse on countless malicious activities they carry out on the Internet. Also found on the dark web are bundles of login credentials that are often sold off to the highest bidder or at a discount to hackers who are ready to leverage the higher value of said credentials.
As it turns out, in April 2018, researchers from the digital platform security firm Irdeto, found 854 listings of credentials that give users access to online streaming services in addition to media entertainment services of DirecTV were somehow compromised and now being sold on the dark web. Credentials from as many as 69 unique sellers from more than 15 dark web marketplaces makeup the content being sold currently.
Leveraging streaming and entertainment service accounts is good business for hackers
The many services that are said to have had credentials stolen and sold on the dark web have monthly pricing from as little as $8 a month to as much as tier plans of $15 per month. In retrospect of the cost of the services, the credentials being sold on the dark web currently are valued much less than the real cost, which makes it enticing for hackers to sell them off and make a quick buck.
Furthering the push for hackers to sell credentials belonging to popularized media and streaming entertainment service accounts, the idea of leveraging many of the compromised accounts could be used in modified devices to stream content illegally. Such a practice has a global pandemic accounting for 74 million visits per month in the first quarter of 2018 for the top 10 live-streaming services globally.
Collectively, the act of selling off credentials to multiple streaming and entertainment services could be a lucrative business for hackers. Just think, many of the illegal streaming devices loaded with stolen streaming service credentials could sell for high prices on platforms like eBay or other e-commerce sites.