Wireless isn't very secure, you're mileage may vary on the encryption mechanism but here is a guide to hacking WPA networks (with WEP it takes seconds):
From there you can try a range of known exploits and gain admin access to a PC, after that it's game over, they can run what they want, when the want. There is no careful crafting necessary, the process can be largely automated.
We aren't talking camcorder copies, but exact digital replicas from the netflix stream.
WPA2 is reasonably secure and has been the standard for home and business WiFi for years.
In any case, merely compromising WiFi won't get you someone's Netflix account. The Netflix data itself, including the credentials, are all encrypted.
As for taking over someone's PC, that's far beyond the average pirate, and you're talking about serious criminal offences on top of mere copyright infringement at that point.
And even then, we're not necessarily talking about being able to make exact copies of the stream. The whole point of hardware-backed DRM schemes is that just because you can run software on the PC, that doesn't mean you can access the unencrypted data stream.
So again, how exactly were you planning to do this? What you're talking about is far beyond the average script kiddie or casual pirate.
Remember, we were talking about convincing a court that it was more likely that someone did all of this and that was how a watermarked copy of protected content got out than that the person whose account was used to download that content then somehow shared it. A slight possibility that professional pirates who are also expert crackers chose that particular customer to pick on and left no evidence having done so isn't likely to be very convincing.
I can't figure out why you've added this ridiculous "need to use their computer" part, that would be necessary for a successful lawsuit but suing random Netflix users will look terrible even if the court clears them in the end. But OK...
WPA2 is reasonably secure, but most home instances aren't set up well. They often have WPS enabled or a guessable password. Plus weaker set ups are still easy to find. Once you're on, redirect Netflix to a site to grab their info, record the stream from a computer outside their house. This is needlessly complex for what is needed, find a compromised Netflix(+email?), record.
Netflix serves over HTTPS and uses HSTS. Under most circumstances, you aren't going to be able to MITM them and "grab their info" even if you've compromised their WiFi.
You keep coming up with these claims about how easy this is, yet you also keep missing basic technical points about the system actually works. As I've said before, if there is actual evidence that someone's account was compromised then they can produce that as part of their defence in court. However, if content that is watermarked to a specific account turns up all over the Internet, that is evidence suggesting that the person in question has infringed copyright, and that does need a real defence if the rightsholder chooses to take legal action accordingly.
Yes, and people are so great at making sure they access https addresses and never ignore a "this may not be secure" warning.
And you're still ignoring the major parts. What someone actually needs to do is much easier than all this, and Netflix has already lost if they end up in court with an innocent person.
If you want me to prove accounts have been compromised, look at all the account breaches over the past few years, think of how many reuse passwords.
Wireless isn't very secure, you're mileage may vary on the encryption mechanism but here is a guide to hacking WPA networks (with WEP it takes seconds):
http://www.hackingtutorials.org/wifi-hacking-tutorials/how-t...
From there you can try a range of known exploits and gain admin access to a PC, after that it's game over, they can run what they want, when the want. There is no careful crafting necessary, the process can be largely automated.
We aren't talking camcorder copies, but exact digital replicas from the netflix stream.