Hacked?

April 23, 2015 8:04 PM

I have a netflix account that appears to be getting hacked, even though I've switched passwords multiple times.

I have a netflix account and I use unblock-us.

Recently I've noticed weird activity and recommendations on my account. Stuff I definitely would NEVER have watched (Barbie? I have no kids). Access shows android devices accessing my account. I don't own any android devices.

I switched my password, though it seems to still be happening -- though at a lesser rate.

Could it be a netflix or unblock-us issue?

posted by aclevername to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

This blog post references a similar experience and posits that perhaps Netflix's authentication is flawed in some way. Barring that, I'd try testing some possible weak links in your chain, such as:

1) Your home computer is compromised by malware, so changing the password there still enables it to be compromised (temp solution: change the netflix password at a work computer, long term: do a full malware removal regiment on your home computer)

2) Your home internet connection is compromised (temp solution: change the netflix password at work or on a friend's wireless network, long term: factory reset your router, update firmware, make sure WPA2 encryption is enabled, change your wifi password)

3) The compromise is coming through Unblock-US; Try switching to a competitor (adfreetime, maybe)
posted by bluecore at 8:21 PM on April 23, 2015 [4 favorites]

If you log I to your Netflix account on a PC, and click on the icon in the top right, there's an option for "Viewing Activity". At the top of the Viewing Activity page there should be a link to see recent account access, that might give you some idea of where your account is signed in.
There is also an option on the My Account page to sign out of all devices. I would do that, then change your password to something new and complex, and then monitor the recent activity for a couple of days to see what happens. If it continues, you probably want to contact Netflix.

On preview: bluecore's advice is excellent as well if the questionable accesses show back up.
posted by jferg at 8:21 PM on April 23, 2015 [4 favorites]

Best answer: If you have devices authorized on your account, like blu ray players and stuff that give you a code to punch in to netflix but don't require your username/password then they'll stay signed in even if you change the password.

Go to your account, and "my devices" or whatever it's called and click the button that's something like "sign out all devices".

I've seen this more than once, and that was ALWAYS it. Some friend or random person you vaguely know has their tv box/console/whatever signed in that way.
posted by emptythought at 8:34 PM on April 23, 2015 [4 favorites]

Do you have any secondary profiles with logins associated with potentially compromised email accounts ? If so, eliminate those profiles.
posted by glibhamdreck at 4:13 AM on April 24, 2015

We had that exact same issue when we were accessing Netflix on our tv via a Wii. Our Wii died and we switched to a Roku - no more issues.
posted by vignettist at 7:47 AM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I had the same issue. I signed out of all devices, changed my password, then signed back in. It hasn't happened since.
posted by tacodave at 2:13 PM on April 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

As a data point, this exact thing happened to me today.
posted by Keith Talent at 11:44 PM on September 25, 2015