Thousands of Disney+ User Accounts Hijacked and Sold on Dark Web

Disney+, a new streaming TV and movie service provided by Disney, allows customers to view everything from classic movies to original, exclusive television shows.

Although the streaming service has only been active since November 12, 2019, customers have already complained about technical issues with their Disney+ accounts.

Many customers were not able to access their Disney+ accounts and, therefore, were not able to use the company’s streaming services.

And it turns out, these Disney+ technical issues may be correlated to a customer hacking situation.

What happened

Many Disney+ users claimed that hackers logged them out of their devices and changed their email and password information associated with their Disney+ accounts, according to CNBC.

And, as stated on a Global News article, “thousands of Disney+ accounts have been hacked and are being sold online on the dark web, according to a report published on Monday.”

According to a ZDNet, the accounts that were stolen “were put up for sale on hacking forums within hours after the service's launch.” ZDNet also found that the accounts put up for sale on the dark web were priced between $3 and $11 per account.

Although Disney+ user accounts are being affected by hacker efforts, it doesn’t seem that the streaming service, itself, was breached.

According to Global News, a Disney spokesperson recently provided a statement saying that “Disney takes the privacy and security of our users’ data very seriously and there is no indication of a security breach on Disney+.”

What you can do

Disney+ isn’t the only streaming service that has faced this type of hacking situation. In fact, other streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu all continue to struggle with similar threats.

These popular streaming services have made an effort to protect customers against hacker-related threats; however, there is still a long way to go in terms of protection.

According to a recent BBC article, Disney+ “does not have two-factor authentication.” And users may quickly realize that this lack of multi-factor authentication definitely puts them and their information more at-risk.

Since there is a lack of preventative measures on the company side of things, the one thing you can do to make sure your account is safe for any streaming service is to use a unique password.

Although creating and using a unique password for every online account you have may sound exhausting, it’s an incredibly important step in protecting your account and your personal information.

The bottom line

It can be difficult to know how to protect yourself when using popular streaming services like Disney+; however, the more active you are in taking control of your personal security, the less likely you’ll be to fall victim to common hacking situations.

If you are struggling to find ways to enhance your streaming service account security, here are five basic tips you can follow:

1. Avoid sharing your password and writing it down
2. Change your passwords up at least once per year
3. Use a secure password management service to stay organized
4. Follow these steps to create unique, secure passwords
5. Immediately report any suspicious account activity

Along with following the tips listed above, it’s important that you stay up-to-date on the latest data breach and hacking trends. After all, knowing what is happening in the news today can help you protect yourself tomorrow.