The media industry suffered 17 billion credential stuffing attacks between January 2018 and December 2019 according to a new report from Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM), the intelligent edge platform for securing and delivering digital experiences. Released today, the Akamai 2020 State of the Internet / Credential Stuffing in the Media Industry report found that 20% of the 88 billion total credential stuffing attacks observed during the reporting period targeted media companies.
Media companies present an attractive target for criminals according to the report, which reveals a 63% year-over-year increase in attacks against the video media sector. The report also shows 630% and 208% year-over-year increases in attacks against broadcast TV and video sites, respectively. At the same time, attacks targeting video services are up 98%, while those against video platforms dropped by 5%.
The marked uptick in attacks aimed at broadcast TV and video sites appear to coincide with an explosion of on-demand media content in 2019. In addition, two major video services launched last year with heavy support from consumer promotions. These types of sites and services are well aligned with the observed goals of the criminals who target them.