Netflix is sending emails to its subscribers urging them to reset their passwords after discovering ”some” Netflix email addresses and passwords listed on a breach at another company.
Security experts at Netflix were performing their regular security monitoring when they identified that there were some Netflix email addresses and passwords that matched the credentials released in another company’s breach.
That’s why the company decided to send notifications to its subscribers via emails for changing their passwords. This is the standard procedure followed by Netflix every now and then but this time the company believes that they have every reason to ask their users for password resetting.
Apparently, Netflix believes that the email addresses and passwords used by its subscribers to log on to their websites are also being used elsewhere or may be their IDs have been hacked. So, to protect its customers, Netflix is conducting a thorough data filtration process by researching its databases and discovering any signs of fraud.
Also See: Netflix Users Targeted with Phishing and Malware Scams Stealing Credit Card Data
The email sent by Netflix to its subscribers reads:
“As part of our regular security monitoring, we discovered that credentials that match your Netflix email address and password were included in a release of email addresses and passwords from a breach at another company.”
Currently, we have no clue how many email addresses match the breach at another firm but we can say that it should be a substantial figure that’s why Netflix researchers are so alarmed. The email sending process by Netflix is similar to the one conducted by Amazon last month after discovering a stash of its customers’ login credentials online apparently stolen from a thirst party platform.
Furthermore, the company did not mention in its email to subscribers whether the said email IDs have been compromised or not. The password resetting email could also be a precautionary measure considering the risks involved when subscribers use the same credentials to log on to a number of websites.
Netflix states that the email notification “is part of our ongoing, proactive efforts to alert members to potential security risks not associated with Netflix. There can be a variety of triggers such as username and password breaches at other companies, phishing schemes, and malware attacks.”
It is better to be cautious nowadays because already so many companies have suffered massive data breaches and the threats seem to be growing with every passing day. Such as, the recent data breaches faced by MySpace, DropBox, LinkedIn, Tumblr and Yahoo, leaves no doubt that malicious cyber-criminals would leave no stone unturned in attacking another high-profile website containing hordes of valuable data.
Also Read: Cover Your Cams: Webcam of This Couple Got Hacked While Watching Netflix
Users need to play a responsible role in ensuring that their credentials remain protected by selecting a strong password and refraining from using the same ID and password for logging into various services. That’s because if your ID at one service gets leaked, all of your accounts would be at risk of hacking. Always use a password manager to get unique passwords and never be so careless about sharing your personal details and sensitive information like passwords online with anyone.
Click here to learn how to change your Netflix password and How can you keep your Netflix account secure.
Image Source: Flickr/Yvonne Esperanza
