Roku Suffers Data Breach, Hackers Sell Credentials of Hundreds of 15,000 Stolen Accounts

Aldohn Domingo, Tech Times 13 March 2024, 12:03 am

Streaming platform Roku officially discloses hackers have successfully breached its systems to steal more than 15,000 customer accounts containing sensitive information. Hundreds of the accounts are reportedly being sold online as the breach has given hackers access to the owner's stored credit card information to make illegal purchases.

With over 80 million active users, the firm reportedly disclosed the hack on Friday in documents it filed with the attorneys general of Maine and California. Fifteen thousand three hundred sixty-three accounts were compromised between December 28, 2023, and February 21, 2024, according to the papers.

The documents show that hackers gained access to the accounts by obtaining login credentials from other sources, instead of getting into Roku's system. Using a hacking technique called a credential stuffing assault, threat actors gather credentials that have been made public in past data breaches and then try to use them to access other websites.

(Photo : THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)

An agent of the operational center of the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) checks datas on a computer in Paris on November 24, 2022.

According to the firm, once an account was compromised, threat actors were able to alter all of the user's data, including passwords, email addresses, and shipping addresses.

Roku clarified, however, that the unauthorized actors who gained access to the impacted Roku accounts did not have dates of birth, social security numbers, complete payment account numbers, or any other kind of sensitive personal information that needed to be disclosed.

This essentially locked the user out of the account, enabling threat actors to utilize the saved credit card information to make transactions without sending order confirmation emails to the actual account holder.

According to BleepingComputer, several threat actors are employing the Open Bullet 2 or SilverBullet cracking tools to carry out credential-stuffing assaults. With the help of these apps, hackers can import custom configuration files made specifically to carry out credential-stuffing attacks against particular websites like Netflix, Roku, Chick-fil-A, and Steam.

Roku's Response

After learning about the problem, Roku claims to have safeguarded the affected accounts and imposed a password change. The filing indicates that users were notified of the breach last March 8, 2024.

The platform's security team also looked into any charges resulting from the hackers' unlawful purchases, and they took action to terminate the relevant subscriptions and reimburse the account holders.

CNET advises Roku users to make sure they are not enrolled in any paid plans without consent by looking over the devices connected to their Roku accounts and checking their subscriptions from the dashboard.

Roku Accounts Illegally Sold

While Roku claims it has implemented measures to safeguard the stolen accounts, Bleeping Computer found that 439 Roku accounts are being illegally sold online for as low as $0.50.

The supplier of these accounts offers instructions on how to alter account details to make unauthorized purchases. Those who buy the compromised accounts use their details to take control of the accounts and use the credit cards that have been stored, buying streaming boxes, soundbars, cameras, remote controls, and light strips.