Weâve all been there. You pop open Netflix and find a bunch of shows that arenât yours in your âContinue Watchingâ queue.
For most of us, that means a friend or family member borrowing our password has logged into our account. But recently, thereâs an increasing chance that whoever binge watched BoJack Horseman with your account isnât someone you know. According to media reports, stolen Netflix passwords are a hot item on shadowy âdark webâ markets. For less than $1, someone can buy your stolen login credentials and use your account to watch whatever they want.
Read More: How to check if your family, friends are sharing your Netflix account
So, before you grill all your friends or family over who messed up your carefully considered Netflix algorithm, use some of these methods to determine if your account has been compromised.
Scour your viewing activity
The easiest way to uncover an account leech is by keeping an eye on what your account says youâve been watching. To do that, log into your Netflix account and select the primary profile (on the far left) for your account. Then, click on the drop-down arrow at the top left of the window and select âYour Account.â There, in the âViewing Activityâ link, you get a list of everything watched, sorted by date.
But lists can be deceiving. For instance, if an authorized viewer watched a program using one of your secondary profiles, then the show may appear unfamiliar to you. Also, at first glance, the âViewing Activityâ link doesnât share any information about what device the show was watched on. So, it could be your mobile your tablet, your smart TV, or someoneâs smart phone in Europe, and youâd be none the wiser.
Check your recent account access
On the âViewing Activityâ page, thereâs another link that gives you a different, limited peek at your accountâs usage. Located at the top of the show listing, the âSee recent account accessâ link will pull open a pop-up window showing date and time, IP address and location, and device information. But it only shows the five most recent interactions with Netflix, so itâs worth checking now and again.
Watch your language
A big red flag that your account has been hacked is if the language of your interface changes. This should be pretty obvious and requires little explanation, but if this happens to you, it can be a real pain to change back, unless you happen to speak that language.
If you donât, hereâs a quick tip for changing it back. Follow the instructions above to navigate to the âMy Accountâ page above. When youâve opened that page, look for your name and icon. The âLanguageâ option is the link just below.
Check to see if youâve been âpwnedâ
Netflix logins arenât the only hot credentials on the web these days. In fact, everything from Ashley Madison to Snapchat has been targeted by hackers. And if youâre the kind of person who uses the same username and password for each account (stop doing that!), then your Netflix account is at risk, even if itâs your Comcast login that got stolen.
To check and see if your logins are safe, visit Have I Been Pwned and insert your email address or username. The site will run a quick query over publicly available records to see if your information has been stolen.
If you do think your Netflix has been used by people you donât know, there are two things you should do. First, on the Netflix âMy Accountâ page, click on âsign out of all devicesâ under settings. This will give your account the boot on every device itâs ever been logged into. Secondly, change your password. Be sure not to use one that youâve used elsewhere before, and if you can, make it a complicated mix of letters, numbers, symbols, uppercase, and lowercase. Iâd suggest some good ones, but I donât need your Netflix password â I have my own.
Source: Time