Researchers Tie a Seventh Netflix Batch to 79 Passwords

HEROIC analysts identified a seventh, separately tracked data breach record tied to Netflix, again dated September 27, 2015. This record covers 79 exposed entries, each containing an email address and a password stored in plaintext.

Why This Netflix Batch Follows the Same Dangerous Pattern

Like the other Netflix batches from this date, the core problem here is that these passwords were never hashed or encrypted. Anyone who obtains this data can read each password exactly as it was typed, with no cracking tools or technical skill required. Whether a record sits in a batch of 79 or several hundred, the exposure carries the same risk to the person behind it.

What Was Exposed

• Email addresses
• Passwords, stored and exposed in plaintext

Why This Matters

Because these passwords require no cracking, they are immediately usable in credential stuffing attacks, where criminals test known email and password pairs against banking sites, email providers, and shopping accounts automatically. If any of these 79 people reused their Netflix password elsewhere, that account is exposed to takeover right now, which can lead directly to identity theft or financial fraud.

How This Database Breach Happened

This incident is classified as a database breach, meaning the records were extracted directly from stored account data. Storing passwords in plaintext instead of using proper hashing is a serious security failure on its own, since a single instance of unauthorized database access instantly exposes every real password in the batch, with no additional work required from an attacker.

Check If You Are Affected

If you have ever had a Netflix account, it is worth checking whether your email and password appear in this or any of the other related Netflix exposures from the same date. HEROIC's free breach scanner checks your email against more than 400 billion leaked records, giving you an instant answer so you can change any reused passwords before someone else uses them.