The joke is that only a few people actually have passwords to watch HBO shows on services like HBO Go and HBO Now, but that those passwords are passed around so often that millions of people can enjoy the network’s programming. It’s slightly less funny to talk about actual password piracy. Content-security firm Irdeto researches the subject, and says that, for the month of April 2018, it found 854 listings for HBO credentials — and for login info for places like Netflix, DirecTV and Hulu — for sale on 15 dark web marketplaces from 69 unique sellers.
According to Variety, dark web marketplaces are “cloaked using secret access protocols.” You can’t just search for these websites in Google, but rather have to have specific software or authorization. Round those parts, the average price for stolen account info was a one-time fee of $8.81, although some sellers bundled different access codes together at higher prices. Everyone likes bundles, after all.
According to Irdeto’s 2018 Global Consumer Piracy Threat Report, live-streaming piracy is also an issue. On average, the top 10 live-streaming sites received 74 million global visits per month in the first quarter of the year. “Content theft by pirates has become a full-fledged criminal enterprise, with some providing illegal subscriptions in an attempt to compete with established pay-TV operators,” said Irdeto VP of cybersecurity services Mark Mulready.
So should you be afraid that pirates are going to steal your HBO Go password and sell it to someone who will get to watch Game of Thrones episodes for free? It’s a concern, although 854 credentials for sale was honestly fewer than I would have expected. Still, there are things you can do; Irdeto recommends looking out for unusual account activity and changing passwords regularly. And now our watch begins.
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