In Chernivtsi region, a court has issued a verdict in the case of hacking Netflix accounts. The defendant is an IT professional who wrote a script to select logins and passwords, gained access to other people’s accounts and sold them via Telegram. We tell you the details.
In Chernivtsi region, a court has issued a verdict in the case of hacking Netflix accounts. The defendant is an IT professional who wrote a script to select logins and passwords, gained access to other people’s accounts and sold them via Telegram. We tell you the details.
According to the case materials, in the spring of 2025, the accused, while at home, developed his own script — the so-called «checker». Its functionality allowed to automatically check large arrays of logins and passwords and find those that match the accounts of users of online services. This is not only about Netflix — according to the conclusions of the examination, the tool could also be used for other platforms with similar authorization logic, in particular OnlyFans, Facebook and other services.
In fact, this is a classic credential stuffing scheme, when access is gained not by hacking servers, but by selecting already existing data.
Having received valid access, he could log into users' accounts and see their personal data — names, phone numbers, email addresses. He kept some of these accounts, and sold some. To do this, he created his own Telegram bot, through which he transferred logins and passwords to buyers.
The court recorded at least one episode of sale: 42 Netflix accounts were transferred to another user for UAH 2,000. In fact, the buyer received ready-made login data — email and password.
During the investigation, experts confirmed that the script used by the accused has the characteristics of HackTools malware. Its main task is to automatically check the validity of credentials and open access to accounts.
Dozens of other files were also found on the suspect’s media, which were identified as malicious.
The court found the man guilty under several articles of the Criminal Code: unauthorized interference with the operation of automated systems, creation of malicious software, and illegal sale of restricted information. The key charge is interference with the operation of systems during martial law.
At the same time, the court took into account that the accused fully admitted his guilt, repented, had no previous convictions, and was positively characterized. It is separately mentioned that he donated a total of about UAH 200,000 to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As a result, the court sentenced him to five years in prison, but released him from serving it with a probationary period of two years. If during this time he does not commit new offenses and fulfills his duties, there will be no actual imprisonment.
