Netflix, Hulu and other major streaming services are among the top destinations for hackers to test stolen login credentials, according to a new study from Akamai Technologies.
The company recently released the findings of its “State of the Internet / Security: Credential Stuffing: Attacks and Economies” , revealing that online video and music streaming services are being hit hard by the largest credential abuse attacks.
Credential stuffing is when automated tools use stolen login details to gain access to user accounts on other websites.
The research said that three of the largest credential stuffing attacks against streaming services last year – which ranged from 133 million to 200 million attempts – took place shortly after the data breaches, suggesting that hackers were likely testing stolen credentials before selling them.
In other words, compromised accounts can be used to allow non-subscribers to watch pirated content from streaming services or are sold or used to extract personal information.
Educating subscribers about the importance of using unique username and password combinations is one of the most effective measures businesses can take to mitigate credential abuse.
The good news is that companies are taking the threat seriously and are trying to strengthen their security, as evidenced by the discussions at NAB.
The United States is the country with the most credential stuffing attacks, followed by Russia and Canada. Unfortunately, there are several online video tutorials that provide step-by-step instructions on how to perform such an attack.
