The middle of June 2014 saw yet another collection of Netflix passwords leaked online, which of course means bad things for the users of the site as well as the company itself. Many Netflix users were up in arms as their passwords were leaked online and their data and security of their personal information compromised.
Such a security breach is something that many have fallen victim to over the years and sometimes this can have huge damaging effects on the company or service targeted, as information can be deleted, corrupted or changed, causing huge system failures and bringing about negative financial implications. Accounts can be used to complete transactions that are not authorised by the actual account holders which results in even more financial upset between service provider and account holder.
A hacker group calling themselves “Derp” are responsible for the latest security breach at Netflix. The usernames and passwords of over 1800 Netflix users were posted to PasteBin. Luckily a number of the users targeted reported that the details posted were in fact their old user names and passwords, and so their accounts were not at risk. Some might not have been so lucky, but no numbers have been made officially available of those affected by the attack.
What is the moral of the story? Companies should certainly have the security of their client data in mind. By incorporating the right security features and ensuring that safe and secure cloud backups are done of client data, a great deal of stress can be removed from such a situation.
As a user, the moral is slightly different. Having a secure password is simply not enough anymore. It is important to ensure that you use a password that can’t be easily guessed and you should change this password every so often. Don’t be a victim of security breaches! Make use of services that can ensure the security of your personal information and accounts and ensure that you do your bit towards a safer and more secure online experience too.