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With the whole world staying at home with nothing to do, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney were a godsend. People finally had the time to catch on to that show on Hulu (or any other streaming service under the sun) and start ten other ones before they got bored and switched the service.
Plus, nowadays, it seems that there’s a new content provider streaming all sorts of shows and movies every couple of weeks. While this is not a bad thing – it never hurts to have diversity – it can be a problem for the users who don’t understand that streaming services are very tempting for hackers.
As it turns out, streaming services are quite the target for ill-intended actors looking to steal credit card data and personal information from users. And they don’t have to work too hard to find a breach because users are careless with their passwords and information.
Plus, many users share their passwords with friends, family, and acquaintances, which creates more room for mistakes.
So, if you want to launch your own streaming service, is there something you could do to help protect your users?
Learn from the Big Guys
Big streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney, or Amazon know their users are being targeted on a daily basis. In fact, many suffered damage and loss of customers because some of these attacks were successful.
So, to avoid any future perturbations, each of the big guys has a well-detailed cybersecurity strategy. For instance, Netflix takes a risk-based approach by designing regular risk assessments, penetration testing, and implementing strong authentication protections.
Plus, Netflix also runs a security training and awareness program and is very strict with who gets to access the content in the background.
On the other hand, Amazon Prime is more focused on applying best practices (SSL for web traffic encryption, secure cookies, and email and DNS protection).
Plus, they work only with trustworthy partners who are experts in their field.
Side note: Small and medium-sized businesses can also access the services of a reliable partner (like USWired) who will provide proper IT support, cloud services, and security.
Lastly, Disney is also extremely serious about protecting its subscribers and content by using advanced security measures. This includes a robust SSL algorithm for data encryption or the obscuring of the header of their ASP.NET version.
The good news is that all these protection tools are efficient and manage to thwart all sorts of attacks. However, ill-intended actors are incredibly resourceful and creative and almost always find a way. Of course, it doesn’t help that users tend to be carefree with their passwords and accounts.
Threats You Need to Consider
So, even if you have a top-notch security system, it doesn’t mean the danger is not real.
Here are a few real examples of how hackers operate:
- Disney+ was hit by a credential stuffing cyberattack via the mobile app during which ill-intended actors used stolen credentials and applied a brute force attack to get into other accounts.
- There are 854 listings of streaming service credentials going around on the Dark Web, and around 42 of the providers are big names like HBO, Netflix, or Hulu.
- Mixcloud, an online music streaming service, was hacked, and the attackers managed to extract over 20 million user data which they tried to sell on the Dark Web.
Wrap Up
Overall, streaming services login credentials are a hot commodity on the Dark Web right now, so it may be a good idea to teach users how to stay protected by not sharing their passwords or accessing shady websites. In all fairness, you can never be 100% protected, but if everyone works together, the chances drop significantly.
