Netflix Subscribers Affected by An Email Phishing Attack

• A phishing attack was identified targeting Netflix subscribers last week.
• The City of London Police and National Fraud Intelligence Bureau identified the attack.
• Netflix subscribers have already been warned about the ongoing phishing attack.

With phishing attacks and data leaks at an all-time high, Netflix has become the latest target of cybercriminals. An email-based phishing attack was launched against the streaming giant’s subscribers that urges them to update their accounts with payment information. The email redirects to a form that requests usernames and passwords from unsuspecting users.

Image Courtesy of Action Fraud Alert

The email is very similar to what Netflix officially sends to its users when their payment method fails with auto-renewal enabled. However, if you look at the sender’s email address, it becomes obvious that it is nothing but an attempt to phish your credit card details. The phishing email reads “We face some difficulties with the current billing information of your own. We will try again, but please at the same time you update your payment details.”

Netflix has over 130 million subscribers, making it one of the biggest targets for phishers. Similar scams have been attempted against Netflix users in the past as well. It is recommended to be alert when opening emails from anyone you do not know, even from trusted services. Always check the sender’s email before clicking on any link and do not enter personal information or download any files even if they seem safe without scanning. Many popular antivirus software also comes with anti-phishing capabilities that sync with your email accounts from popular email service providers.

While Netflix accounts for themselves are not valuable at all, getting access to credit card information can be dangerous. Moreover, many internet users use the same passwords for multiple services, making them easy targets for phishers.

If you use a number of online services, it is recommended to have secure passwords that are unique to each other. Alternatively, you can use password management services like 1Password, LastPass or KeePass to generate secure passwords and autofill your encrypted passwords without needing to memorize them.

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