So, you were one of the 10 million subscribers who signed up for Disney Plus on the first day? Or maybe you are one of the next 50-80 million subscribers that are anticipated joining in the next 2 years. How do you feel about having your Disney Plus hacked, username & password changed, then sold to the highest bidder all while using YOUR credit card information? It’s been less than two weeks and Disney+ users are already dealing with this.
So how did this happen? Isn’t Disney one of the biggest companies in the world? Don’t they understand the need for powerful cybersecurity? How was Disney Plus Hacked?
Well, the answer is…of course they do! They have put millions of dollars into keeping everyone’s information safe. Truth be told, no matter how much money they fork out, you just can’t fix stupid. Now this is a harsh statement but stick with me, I’ll explain, and we’ll all be better off because of it.
“Truth be told, no matter how much money they fork out, you just can’t fix stupid.”
It’s Your Fault
Doing computer repair in Canada for 28+ years, you notice patterns. A study from Google reported 52% of consumers use the same username and password across multiple accounts, and 13% of users use the same password on all accounts. This means that, literally, every other consumer out there is sacrificing security for convenience.
“…literally every other consumer out there is sacrificing security for convenience.”
My bet is that the actual percentage is much higher than that. If every other person is using the same user name and password for multiple accounts, then hackers don’t need to try and break the powerful cybersecurity that Disney paid millions for. They only need to hack a less well guarded website and suddenly they have the user names and passwords to potentially hundreds of sites. In fact, they don’t even need to be very technical. They just need to buy your password from someone on the black market! So the question isn’t “Was Disney Plus Hacked.” The question is, “Where else did you use that password?”
In fact, Chances are, these malcontents have your password sitting on their server right now. According to KELA, a Cyber Intelligence Firm, there are almost 80,000 Netflix accounts for sale right now. Additionally, major companies report data breaches regularly. Not so long ago, Facebook reported 29 Million users’ information was compromised. And Yahoo had 3 Billion accounts compromised a few years earlier. That sure makes Disney’s few thousand look minuscule.
Not only do dark-web users have access to all that information, more information is being stolen every day. Anything from key-logging malware to simple/poor passwords, we make it easy for hackers and reward them for their efforts.
Fixing the Problem
With all that said, it looks like 52% of us (and probably more) are the real problem. So, are we just plumb out of luck? Do we all need to accept the fact that the comedian Ron White is right when he says, “You can’t fix Stupid”?
Well, for you and me, there is hope. Here is a short infographic that can help us remember and share with others how to fix stupid.
1. Don’t make passwords too easy!
Passwords that are very simplified are the easiest to hack. Are you still using any of these top hacked passwords of 2019 (CNN):
- 123456
- 123456789
- qwerty
- password
- 111111
- 12345678
- abc123
- 1234567
- password1
- 12345
- Ashley
- Michael
- Daniel
- Jessica
- Charlie
- Liverpool
- Chelsea
- Arsenal
- Cowboys1
- Sunday
- August
Those are just the top 20 used passwords. Are you using any derivative of the above passwords? It’s time to stop. Change it now. Not sure what to use or how to remember it? Check out this article we wrote that will help you with just that:
2. Keep your computer clean!
Viruses and malware are very tricky. They do their best to trick us into bringing them in, and then they do their business. Track our key strokes, steal our passwords, monitor our activity, and lock down or steal our data. Just take a look at the incredible power of these viruses:
Just because you don’t visit bad sites doesn’t mean your safe. With all the information, videos, ads, and other content that we are willingly consuming on a daily basis, hackers have all kinds of opportunities to get into our computer.
To stay clean and safe, first avoid websites whenever possible. Especially avoid downloads of files, videos, music, etc. from any website that isn’t trustworthy (meaning they have done their due diligence and have protected their users from cyberattacks).
On top of that, you need to choose a solid anti-virus software. If there is anything you shouldn’t skimp on it’s this. Pay for the full version of Norton, McFee, or Kaspersky. They are all on the leading edge of malware protection and will be your best chance at staying clean and safe.
3. Use a secure password service!
Inevitably we go back to our old ways if the new way causes too many issues. Your brain will explode if you had to keep track of every secure password you have for every website. According to a study that was done in 2015, the average U.S. email address has 130 online accounts assigned to it! Can you imagine keeping 130 different passwords straight?! It just won’t happen.
To avoid falling back into the old and dangerous ways, use a password service such as LassPass. These services make passwords very simple. They will plugin to any major browser and will help you with auto-fill features and even secure sharing methods. They use the top of the line encryption and security protocol in order to keep your information safe.
We Fixed Stupid
So was Disney Plus Hacked? Nope. It’s our own stupid fault. However, with these three steps we can fix stupid. We will need to pay some subscription costs, but this is just like any other utility cost in your home. Plan for it, put it in your budget, and make security a priority. You will be cursing yourself if you don’t. If you do, you can rest easy knowing that your Disney+ account is safe.
And there you have it. In 3 simple steps we can prove Ron White wrong. You can, in fact, fix stupid. The real question is, will you?
