Brits have been issued an urgent warning over the usage of IPTV boxes favoured by many households as a way to illegally stream TV channels and home entertainment.
The method – which often works by modifying the channels available on plug-in devices such as Amazon Fire or Roku sticks – allows users to access channels they might normally have to pay for, such as Sky Sports, for free.
However, after some 1.3million Android smart TVs were hacked last month, experts have warned of the serious risks that could come with owning such a device.
It means that anyone with a jailbroken TV box or Fire stick could inadvertently be allowing cyber criminals the chance to gain access to their personal and financial information.
‘Android-powered set-top TV boxes are hugely popular at the moment, particularly as they are relatively inexpensive and can be customised to viewer’s requirements,’ Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer at NordVPN, said.
‘Much to the anger of streaming companies, they are often corrupted to become ”dodgy boxes” that allow users to access multiple services for free.’
‘Little do Brits know the security implications of having one of these, let alone the legal issues that could follow,’ he told The Sun.
The warning by the cybersecurity expert comes after two brothers were sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison back in August for operating an illegal streaming service that allowed viewers to watch Sky and other premium channels.
Amir Butt, 56, was sentenced to seven years, after allegedly failing to appear in court. His brother Ammar Hussain, 39, was also sentenced to four years.
The pair, from Ilford, east London, were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud over a seven-year period between August 2012 and March 2019.
Trading under the names Tech & Sat Ltd., Techsat and Tech + Sat, the fraudulent operation was run from Butt’s home and a shop on Cranbrook Road, Ilford.
The pair sold annual subscriptions, which provided access to a range of sports and entertainment content, for £200 each.
They were believed to have thousands of customers, generating hundreds of thousands of pounds in revenue and depriving legitimate tv providers in excess of £1million.
Their exploits came to the attention of Sky through the intellectual property protection organisation, FACT.