Hackers Are Selling Illegal Netflix Accounts for Pennies on the Dark Web

On the Dark Web — the corners of the Internet that aren't reachable through ordinary search engines and browsers — hackers are selling login credentials for Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu and other premium streaming accounts, making fools out of all of us who were giving them away for free to loved ones. 

In the same marketplaces where you can buy stolen credit cards and bank accounts for hundreds of dollars, a lifetime subscription to Netflix can sell for as low as $0.55.

"These relatively low price points suggest that cybercriminals have ramped up automated theft operations to make their cybercrime business models profitable," a McAfee report from October said.

Multiplying like rabbits: Many of these accounts aren't necessarily stolen, but created with false credit card information. Those accounts are often shut down, but the online listings you buy carry lifetime guarantees. If the owner of the account changes the password, the vendor will move you to another account with no additional charge.

"These relatively low price points suggest that cybercriminals have ramped up automated theft operations to make their cybercrime business models profitable."

So if you've been bumming off of your ex and you're looking to break the law and snag a lifetime account of your own for half a buck, you'll need the Tor browser, a VPN to protect your identity and a Bitcoin wallet to pay discreetly. The rest is up to you, because then you'll be committing a crime. 

For everyone else, an unlimited streaming subscription to Netflix is $7.99 a month.