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The BBC reports that Netflix, the leading streaming platform in the world, is trying to crack down on ineligible users. The ineligible users, the streaming service refers to, are those who practice sharing account passwords. It’s true that it’s against the company's terms and services, yet it is also true that this is a common practice that is hardly going away.
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Here, at NordPass we strongly believe that sharing is caring. But when it comes to sharing passwords, security should come first. Today, we’re diving into all things related to password sharing. The security risk that it might pose, and an overview of do’s and don'ts.
Cybersecurity and password sharing
In today's world cybersecurity is a fact of life. Passwords are an integral part of that fact. After all, a password is our first line of defense, yet many of us still struggle with proper password security. According to Verizon's 2020 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), over 80% of hacking-related breaches involved the use of lost or stolen credentials.
In a contemporary workplace password sharing is extremely common. First Contact revealed that 69% of employees share passwords with co-workers to access information.
The same can be said about the home environment. Google’s US passwords statistic indicates that 43% of US adults have shared their personal passwords with a partner or a family member. The report also notes that the most popular passwords that are passed around are the ones used for streaming websites and other online entertainment platforms. As many as 22% of US adults have given their Netflix or Hulu password to a partner or family member.
Password sharing isn’t going away any time soon, so it’s best to understand how to do it the right way to avoid any cybersecurity risks.
The do’s and don’ts of password sharing
Never share passwords over insecure channels
Unfortunately, sharing passwords via text messages, emails, and other internet messaging platforms is the most common way. All of these are what in the cybersecurity world are known as unsecure channels as they are rarely encrypted. This means that if a message or an email with your password is intercepted, the password would appear in plain text and all that a hacker would need to do is copy and paste it.
Use cloud-based file storage services
To reduce the chances of getting your passwords exposed to undesirable third-parties, you can choose to share them over cloud-based file sharing platforms. The important thing here is that those services should ensure security of the file you store. NordLocker is one such service that provides encrypted cloud-storage.
Use a password manager
Password managers are considered to be the safest option when it comes to password sharing, and for good reason. After all, password managers such as NordPass are designed to securely store passwords and other sensitive data in an encrypted vault. Most reputable password managers will offer you a way to securely share passwords. Usually a password in such an instance will be sent in an encrypted form to another user. With NordPass, sharing passwords is quick and simple. All you need to do is select a password you want to share in a vault, select the three dots icon and click share.
Take a look at how to share your Netflix passwords (while you still can) with NordPass.
We've looked at the best do's and the absolute don'ts when it comes to sharing passwords. As long as you take these steps and protect yourself, you can feel safe about password sharing. Just remember that sharing passwords needs to be taken seriously on both sides of the equation because a single mistake could lead to unwanted and even dangerous consequences.