Is Your Netflix Account Behaving Strange? You Might Be Hacked

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Netflix, HBO and Spotify subscription owners might be worried after recent reports that someone could hack into their account and give a complete stranger a lifetime access to it. To overcome such fears, a writer for Vice.com has come up with an interesting piece to help you find out if your account has been hacked.

Checks for Netflix users

One sure sign is when a user sits down to watch a favorite show on Netflix, but upon logging into the account finds that the list of recently watched shows does not reflect their viewing habits. The writer from Vice.com, whose Netflix account has also been hacked, said that she visited the website ‘have i been pwned?’ to find out if her Netflix account had been compromised.

The author says there is not much that a hacker can do if they get inside your Netflix account. All they can do is binge watch the shows as the credit card information is kept secure by Netflix. But, if anyone uses their Netflix password for other important accounts, then it could be a bigger problem.

Beware of “Dark Web”

Netflix allows multiple people to use an account at the same time. Though it is very convenient when two or more people want to watch a show simultaneously, it has led to opening up of a black market on the dark web for hackers, who can sell access to stolen accounts.

In a recent report, McAfee Labs claimed that there are hackers who have gained access to the Netflix, Spotify and HBO accounts of many subscribers, and are selling lifetime access to the accounts for less than $1. It is possible for people to buy services through “Dark Web” with the help of an internet browser known as TOR that hides the user’s IP address, claims McAfee Labs.

Speaking to TechInsider, Intel Security’s vice president and CTO Raj Samani said that literally anything and everything is offered for sale on the “Dark Web”. Samani added that there are few marketplaces on the “Dark Web” that even have a help desk of their own. “I don’t want to call it a risk-free transaction but they try to make it as risk-free as they possibly can,” Samani said.

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