Disney+ Australian launch suffers setback with accounts hacked and put up for sale on Dark Web
Disney+ launches in Australia today but cybersecurity experts have warned that users need to take extra care when signing up after a serious leak. SEE HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Hacking
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Australia’s newest streaming service is under a cloud on launch day after passwords for thousands of Disney+ accounts were harvested and offered for sale online, putting users’ financial details at risk.
The service, which has been tipped as a major rival for Netflix and Stan, launched in Australia early today and promises content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
But many US users have reported being locked out of their accounts and having their passwords changed, and a new report from ZDNet found the Disney+ accounts available on the Dark Web.
Disney+ account details were being sold for between $US3 and $US11 in hacking forums — more than the actual price of subscribing to the service.
Other active accounts were being offered on the Dark Web free of charge.
Bitdefender threat research director Bogdan Botezatu said the Disney+ hack was due, in part, to users signing up with old passwords that had been compromised on other accounts.
But he said it was “not entirely the users’ fault” as the service lacked robust security.
“The Disney+ account doesn’t provide enhanced protection such as multi-factor authentication, which is designed specifically for this scenario, showing once more just how vital an extra security step really is,” he said.
“The issue starts in our living rooms and is then compounded by inadequate protection from the platform’s end.”
Mr Botezatu said new Disney+ users should ensure they signed up using a new, complex password “using caps, numbers, and symbols”.
In an update on Thursday, Disney issued a statement saying the company had “found no evidence of a security breach” on its systems, but blamed usernames and passwords “leaked from previous breaches at other companies”.
“We continuously audit our security systems and when we find an attempted suspicious login we proactively lock the associated user account and direct the user to select a new password,” the statement read.
“We have seen a very small percentage of users in this situation and encourage any users who are having these kind of issues to reach out to our customer support so we can help them.”
Disney+ launched in Australia on Tuesday morning after many Disney shows were removed from rival service Stan on Monday.
The new service, which costs $8.99 a month and comes with a seven-day trial, features the first live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, a TV series based on High School Musical, and Marvel’s Hero Project.
Disney+ will compete in an increasingly crowded Australian streaming market, alongside newly launched Apple TV+, as well as Netflix, Foxtel Now, Stan, Kayo, Kayu, and YouTube Premium.
Disney content will remain on pay-TV service Foxtel in Australia, however, including kids’ channels Disney and Disney Jnr, as part of Disney’s policy to retain the channels globally.
Foxtel, which is part-owned by News Corp, will also screen new and returning series from Disney Freeform’s young adult catalogue, including Siren and Good Trouble, along with old favourites such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, Modern Family, and Fresh Off The Boat.
In addition, Foxtel will keep Disney’s newly acquired FX studio, which this year produced Fosse/Verdon, Ryan Murphy’s Pose and American Crime Story.