It's official…Netflix has decided to put an end to unencrypted
streaming once and for all. In a recent interview, the streaming service giant
announced that it will once again be encrypting all the connections between
their servers and their client base. This bold move isn't just a small update
and this isn't the first time Netflix has announced that it will be pursuing
this line of action in order to provide the utmost security for their users.
According to Netflix Director of Streaming Standards Mark
Watson, Netflix chose a subset of users to test this new tech on, and found
that they lost half of their capacity during the trial run. The main cause of
these less than stellar results is the fact that HTTPS is not able to utilize
certain optimizations that Netflix employs in their streaming.
That's the techno jargon, but the main reason they stepped back from HTTPS six months ago was the whopping loss in revenue the new technology would cause their company – potentially in the $100's of millions a year.
That's the techno jargon, but the main reason they stepped back from HTTPS six months ago was the whopping loss in revenue the new technology would cause their company – potentially in the $100's of millions a year.
So, why is Netflix insistent on pursuing this option? As
embarrassing as it would be for your neighbors to find out you have a secret
passion for John Stamos films, get worried about what will happen to Blair,
Nate and Chuck in Gossip Girl, or just want to hear Archer tell his mother to
watch her phrasing; that isn't their main concern. Due to the recent attack on
Github, Netflix is trying to prevent any “Great Cannon” attacks from entering
your home via Man-in-the-middle tactics.
Man-in-the-middle attacks take place when hackers intercept an
unencrypted data stream and implant their own code to 'piggyback' to the
streams destination. While the Github attack was a showy attack that had no
real repercussions (they bombarded a couple of sites with junk, just to take it
down); the Great Cannon could be used to install malicious software,
key-loggers or even steal private information from the end user – all without
the user's knowledge. You always wanted to buy someone else a house in the
Bahamas, didn't you?
Ultimately, Netflix is going to be implementing HTTPS on all of
their data streams but what does this mean for the typical customer? Not much,
actually. While it is true that some users will watch their shows with more
confidence and less fear of discovery, most users are not going to notice the
difference. There is speculation that there might be a price increase in
services, but Netflix hasn't mentioned any solid numbers at this point. Mr.
Watson didn't discuss the new figures this move is costing Netflix, but it is
unlikely that the users will not take on some of this burden themselves.
So,
how much do you love John Stamos? Hopefully enough to ensure that you aren't
sacrificing any security measures when streaming the recently announced Full
House reboot!
Source:TheSSLStore
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