Stranger Things Season 5 Leak From Hacker After Historic Netflix Hack
Days after it was announced that streaming giant Netflix became victim to a giant data breach of the service’s footage, an anonymous hacker that has ties to the incident posted on X Monday that episodes of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things will be released to the public by Wednesday, August 14. While the hacker’s possession of any of the highly anticipated swan song season has not been confirmed by any official channels, the source maintains that they have three of the episodes ready to go. As excited as some fans might be about this news, the Stranger Things leak is being met with much cynicism across the web.
Leaks
The data breach that impacted one of the post production partners used by Netflix was reported by Forbes to have impacted several popular anime titles that included Ranma 1/2, Dandadan, Arcane, and Terminator Zero. These stolen episodes were accessed by hackers and illegally uploaded to multiple social media outlets, X and 4Chan among them.
It’s not believed that Stranger Things will be among those titles that will be leaked, that hasn’t stopped the chatter on X and beyond with users speculating not only the validity of the anonymous hacker’s claims but also awaits viewers in the content that he purports to have.
Aggressive Action
In a statement last week, Netflix asserted that the company will be dedicating time to taking “aggressive action” in taking its leaked content down.
A post on X from user Jace Johnson included a still from the hit series, along with an updated message that acknowledges that the recent data breach did not include Stranger Things.
But the user continues their post to assert that they have communicated with a hacker, who they claim showed them several clips from the first episode of the show’s unreleased fifth season. They further state that the entire leaked episodes will be sent to the X account holder on Wednesday.
Stranger Things
Jace Johnson concludes the Stranger Things leak post with a question that some might consider to be rhetorical. “Should I post them even though I’ll probably get sued by Netflix?,” they ask.
Eager fans do not have a date to look forward to concerning the Stranger Things season five premier. Considered to be one of the most successful series to ever run on Netflix, it’s understandable why some fans might be chomping at the bit to view at least a handful of the episodes early, given the opportunity. But doing so could lead to some pretty serious consequences, experts say.
Downloading Malware
Downloading Stranger Things from a data breach is not only illegal, but fans can easily expose their own data to hackers. The number of users that such a leak will tempt generates a “hacker’s playground,” leading to many novice users of these sites being taken advantage of. Downloading files loaded with malware and other disastrous program types might not be what fans expect, but it’s almost assured that it’s what some will get for being impatient.
Ignoring The Leak
Many die-hard fans of Stranger Things are online now urging others to ignore the leak and wait for Netflix to premier what is shaping up to be one of its most streamed season premieres. The delay, they insist, is well worth the wait.
Sources: Forbes