We’re pretty sure that some of you probably use the same password for so many accounts. Using the same password on most OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu is easy. It could also make the login process faster since you only need to remember one set of passwords. But is it actually risky?
While there are illusory benefits you can gain from keeping the same password repeatedly, the risk of an unwanted breach is rising. There’s always a security risk lingering in every corner. With the rapidly growing number of OTT services, they become hordes to store limitless private information. One who could breach it will gain access to basically all your digital tracks, including the simplest things like browsing history, to more severe aspects like private address and credit card information.
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All this data can be used directly to suck up your money, fundings or sell in specific markets and forums. The fraudsters can easily do it, and there’s a particular market for it. Who knows, your data can be used for other criminal doings as well.
The skillful, cunning hackers can always capitalize on your loss. They have in hand the automated tools that can disguise themselves to look as genuine as possible. They also cover themselves within the legitimate address, fooling hundreds or even thousands of lost users.
The number has increased to billions by 2018 and continues rising as we speak. Unfortunately, the media industry is one of the most targeted platforms, as the report from Akamai has exclaimed.
So, what do you need to do to fight back? We have various tips you can adapt and practice to protect yourself from malicious harms that are coming from online video streaming.
How to Keep Your Data Secured
1. Always Use Unique Passwords
When we’re focusing ourselves on platforms like online banking, setting up a unique set of passwords should be the number one priority. Undoubtedly, the data stored inside is vital, and the risk of security breaches should be minimalized with the best you can.
The same thing actually goes for streaming platforms, although they usually need to make unique passwords often easily neglected. One could see this as negligible since the account is for streaming only, right? Wrong.
Even when the account is explicitly personalized to a particular platform, it is connected to your private data associated through email. Your info on that account is as attractive as the data stored in financial media.
As seen from many perspectives, this is just an awareness problem. We don’t usually know the caution surrounding this subject, so users are generally left unnoticed. They don’t know what kind of threats they’re facing. So by reading this article, we hope you can be more aware of this problem and start adapting to a newer, better security breach management. Though creating unique passwords seems to be dreary, at least it could cut the risk significantly.
Also, you can use another layer of protection by using a VPN. VPN is great to use for streaming, especially when you have blocked content in your region. You can easily solve the Netflix block issue by using a VPN and hitting two birds with one stone.
2. Targeting Automation and Bots
The mass credential attacks that happened in 2018 were executed by none other than botnets, or as we say, the AIO applications. These bots are programmed specifically to target “soft,” easy-to-hit accounts that are also considered valuable. You can see these as tools used by hackers to overtake your accounts in a minimal time easily.
A way to fight these attacks and harms from AIO scripts is by utilizing managers where users are only granted permission or access when certain conditions are met, like face recognition, generated token, or another way of confirmation used to reduce risk.
We know, using additional authentication is indeed tedious at first. But, it’s the only and most important way to stop those criminals. Though it’s not giving you perfected, unbreached protection, at least it will be a higher task and effort to enter or access someone’s account.
Aside from this authenticator, another required method is to determine bots from real users. Bots are general problems, the parasites in the online industry. A way to distinguish them, a simple example, is to execute micro-challenges that users can solve quickly.
In the times when bots are even harder to identify, most web browsers or OTT services can use an additional layer of protection. And this can be done in specific ways, like using fingerprints, or using simple tasks for verification, for each login session.
3. Use Better Ways to Confirm Identity
With the existing credential problems users always encounter, the industry should find a way to combine the easiness and effectiveness for confirming identities. We saw or experienced it in our smartphones. Most phones nowadays always have face recognition technology which is considered to be an effective way to ensure one’s identity.
It’s a hint that the industry, whatever the kind, can also use the same method. We rarely see this kind of action is adopted. This can be a solution to surpass the tediousness of having multiple passwords for specific platforms or the need to use additional authenticators.
Don’t Share Your Personal Information
Never share your unique passwords unless for someone you fully trusted, like a partner or family. Any credential information, such as passwords and any information regarding address and banking account, should always be kept to yourself. It’s forbidden to share them, especially when you’re going online.
Your data is an excellent bait to malicious bots utilized by hackers. Once they’ve found it, it’s a complex and challenging way to fight them back. So, be always prepared than sorry.
It’s Important to Double-Check
One of the most common hacking techniques is phishing. Unaware users will find themselves stuck in a website or login portal that looks genuine. This, however, isn’t always the case in the online world. A hacker can easily replace the official sites to look as legal as possible, though they’re not.
When users input their emails on those crafted websites, their data will be gone in a second. It is really harmful. So, before you entering, or even clicking any links, make sure always to double-check it.
Find the official sites by typing the company’s name on Google, and see whether the site is named differently or not. Always verify before you enter.
