Football fans attempting to get their English Premier League (EPL) fix through illegal streaming sites are up to almost four times more likely to encounter a cyber threat and become exposed to online scams, according to a study.
Android TV boxes that offer apps to provide illegal access to a variety of films and TV series have also been found to host malware.
These findings are part of a study commissioned by EPL and published on the Social Science Research Network by Professor Paul Watters, chief executive of Cyberstronomy, a Melbourne-based cyber-security assurance firm.
Titled Scams, Cyber Threats And Illicit Sports Streaming In Singapore, the report by Prof Watters examined both illegal sports streaming sites and illegal streaming devices in December 2023.
Prof Watters, who examined the top 25 illegal sports streaming sites here, said every one in two advertisements on illegal sports streaming websites is likely to be high risk, containing either malware or redirecting to scam websites.
The illegal streaming websites can also be used by cyber criminals to steal personal information through fake login pages. In some cases, these may even prompt users to download malicious software before they are allowed to access a stream.
Compared with 25 legitimate websites popular with Internet users in Singapore, the illegal ones were found to be 3½ times more likely to have a feature associated with online scams. The legitimate websites in the study include Google, YouTube and Reddit.
The Straits Times
