Disney Unfazed By Dinsney+ Hacking Reports
Shortly after its debut, Disney+ hacking reports started with hackers gaining login information.
I actually wondered what was going on when, after I created my new Disney+ account, I could not log in to my Marvel and My Disney Experience Apps. However, my friends at MickeyTravels advised that those accounts — all Disney-based accounts — are often linked, password-wise. This was the case with me, but I wondered if there were any truth to the other hacking rumors.
The Walt Disney Company said no.
Hacked in the Act?
On November 19, Deadline’s Dominic Patten wrote:
As transparent as the Burbank-based executive offered to be about those first-day hurdles, Mayer surprisingly said nothing about reports of Disney+ accounts being hijacked and sold on the dark web.
However, once Mayer was offstage, a company spokesperson refuted any deep security disturbances. “We have found no evidence of a security breach,” they said Tuesday evening.
“Billions of usernames and passwords leaked from previous breaches at other companies, pre-dating the launch of Disney+, are being sold on the web, the company continued in its first major statement on the matter. “We continuously audit our security systems and when we find an attempted suspicious login we proactively lock the associated user account and direct the user to select a new password. We have seen a very small percentage of users in this situation and encourage any users who are having these kinds of issues to reach out to our customer support so we can help them.”
Disney Futures Looking Up
I think I fell into that and it seems like the rest of the business world is on board with that explanation.
Patten added:
Wall Street did not appear to be fazed by the hacking reports. Disney shares gained a fraction to close at $148.38, close to their all-time high just north of $150 established last week.
Meanwhile, Credit Suisse analyst Doug Mitchelson, while no Disney bear, issued a report Tuesday saying the strong launch of Disney+ has had “little-to-no impact on Netflix trends, reassuring for Netflix relative to the competitive concerns priced into its stock.”
As for another peek into the future and with AppleTV+ already on the battlefield plus HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock to come in 2020, Mayer did venture that “not everyone will succeed” and there will be a culling coming once all the new streamers launch. “I think somewhere between three and six,” Mayer predicted would be left standing in a few years, noting that if finances were the main consideration for consumers then “those who decide to chord cut are freeing up a lot of money.”
Did you have username issues with your Disney accounts after opening a Disney+ account? Is everything resolved? Let us know in the comments.