- Jun 24, 2016
- 636
How Illegal Streaming is Putting Your Security at Risk;
An academic study recently found that as many as half of the streams used to watch sporting matches on the sly actually infect the user’s machine through ads and malicious software. Most sports fans would tell you that those 50/50 odds aren’t worth taking.
Lead researcher Zubair Rafique explained “To watch the stream you have to install the extension, and once the user installs the extension, it can infect any website the user is visiting.
“So, if a person installs an extension to watch a stream, and then visits a site like BBC.com, this extension can actually change the contents of BBC.com as it appears in the user’s browser so that it includes malicious links and advertising.
“This is extremely dangerous.”
It’s not just football either. Trying to cheekily stream or download the latest music or film release without paying is riddled with danger.
Experts have found that there’s an almost one in five chance of stumbling into a virus, malware, phishing scam or other cyber danger when searching for high profile music artists alongside the terms ‘free MP4’, ‘torrent’ or ‘HD download’.
Hackers and criminals feed on our greed for freebies. They know we don’t want to miss the big match, top film or best new music and know that we’re too blasé when it comes to safety online. We’re prepared to take a risk because we think we’ll get away with it.
Consider, for example, the results of a poll carried out by McAfee. It found that 89.2 percent of people reckon their internet habits are secure, yet 54 percent also admitted to either streaming sports or TV, downloading music illegally or watching porn – the very activities that draw the attention of cyber criminals. More than a third – 34 per cent – had either been hacked or knew someone who had been hacked and just under a third – 28 percent – hadn’t updated their security software in a year. We think we’re safe; either we aren’t aware that we’re in danger or we choose to ignore the fact that our habits mean we’re putting ourselves at risk.
Get Safe Online, a national body that provides advice and support on cyber security, says that these stats show the ‘sad reality’ of the state of our relationship with internet security.
Tony Neate, CEO, said: “The internet is a great place full of fantastic opportunities. But sadly, there are criminals out there looking to steal your personal information.
“The fact that 34% of people have either been hacked or know someone who has been hacked is the sad reality and a clear sign that we need to do more and take fundamental steps to keep ourselves safe online.
“Things like keeping your passwords safe and using different ones for different accounts, sounds simple but is vital. Also, making sure your software is regularly updated, unlike 28% of the people surveyed in this case, is an easy change that can protect you and your information.”
An academic study recently found that as many as half of the streams used to watch sporting matches on the sly actually infect the user’s machine through ads and malicious software. Most sports fans would tell you that those 50/50 odds aren’t worth taking.
Lead researcher Zubair Rafique explained “To watch the stream you have to install the extension, and once the user installs the extension, it can infect any website the user is visiting.
“So, if a person installs an extension to watch a stream, and then visits a site like BBC.com, this extension can actually change the contents of BBC.com as it appears in the user’s browser so that it includes malicious links and advertising.
“This is extremely dangerous.”
It’s not just football either. Trying to cheekily stream or download the latest music or film release without paying is riddled with danger.
Experts have found that there’s an almost one in five chance of stumbling into a virus, malware, phishing scam or other cyber danger when searching for high profile music artists alongside the terms ‘free MP4’, ‘torrent’ or ‘HD download’.
Hackers and criminals feed on our greed for freebies. They know we don’t want to miss the big match, top film or best new music and know that we’re too blasé when it comes to safety online. We’re prepared to take a risk because we think we’ll get away with it.
Consider, for example, the results of a poll carried out by McAfee. It found that 89.2 percent of people reckon their internet habits are secure, yet 54 percent also admitted to either streaming sports or TV, downloading music illegally or watching porn – the very activities that draw the attention of cyber criminals. More than a third – 34 per cent – had either been hacked or knew someone who had been hacked and just under a third – 28 percent – hadn’t updated their security software in a year. We think we’re safe; either we aren’t aware that we’re in danger or we choose to ignore the fact that our habits mean we’re putting ourselves at risk.
Get Safe Online, a national body that provides advice and support on cyber security, says that these stats show the ‘sad reality’ of the state of our relationship with internet security.
Tony Neate, CEO, said: “The internet is a great place full of fantastic opportunities. But sadly, there are criminals out there looking to steal your personal information.
“The fact that 34% of people have either been hacked or know someone who has been hacked is the sad reality and a clear sign that we need to do more and take fundamental steps to keep ourselves safe online.
“Things like keeping your passwords safe and using different ones for different accounts, sounds simple but is vital. Also, making sure your software is regularly updated, unlike 28% of the people surveyed in this case, is an easy change that can protect you and your information.”
