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Illegal streaming can expose viewers to more cyber threats than legitimate websites, but the often-cited figure is “up to 65 times” in a worst-case Southeast Asia comparison—not 65% higher for every site or viewer. That estimate comes from an Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE)-commissioned study release in July 2025. A separate 2026 study of six Latin American countries also found elevated threat indicators on sampled piracy sites, but neither study tells an individual’s probability of getting infected after visiting a particular site.
What does the “65 times” figure mean?
The title’s “over 65% higher” wording changes the meaning of the reported result. The July 2025 ACE release says consumers in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam were, in the worst case, up to 65 times more likely to be infected with malware while using piracy sites than legitimate websites. That is an upper-bound comparison for the study’s Southeast Asia context, not a universal estimate for all illegal-streaming sites, countries, or visits. ACE’s July 2025 release, distributed through AAP, is the source for that figure.
The full underlying report was not available in the cited release, so the 65-times estimate should be attributed to that release rather than treated as a broadly established infection rate. In particular, it does not mean that a visitor is 65 times as likely to be infected on every visit, or that 65% of visitors will get malware.
What did the Latin America study find?
A separate 2026 report by Paul A. Watters, affiliated with Macquarie University and Cyberstronomy Pty Ltd, examined Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Chile. Commissioned by ACE, it used VirusTotal—an aggregator of information from more than 90 antivirus, sandbox, and threat-intelligence providers—to assess cyber-risk indicators on sampled sites. Its figures are relative-risk estimates under two modeling assumptions, not personal infection probabilities.
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| Measure | Reported result | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Average relative cyber-threat risk across the six-country study | 21.77 times under the best-case model; 39.18 times under the worst-case model | Comparisons from Watters’s 2026 Latin America report, not a prediction that a visitor will be infected. Report and methodology |
| Streaming-portal category, worst-case comparison | Up to 131 times higher risk | A category risk ratio in the report; it is distinct from a count of detected threats. Report and methodology |
| Colombian streaming sites | 131 threat detections | The highest country-category detection count reported in that study—not 131 infections or a worldwide rate. Report and methodology |
ACE summarized the Latin America findings and described the studies as evidence of risks including malware, phishing, financial fraud, and data compromise. ACE commissioned the work and is an anti-piracy coalition, so its summary should be read alongside the report itself. ACE’s 2026 summary quotes executive vice president and chief content protection officer Larissa Knapp: “These studies make clear that illegal streaming sites and illicit devices are not just unlawful, they expose consumers to serious and measurable harm,”
Why can piracy sites pose security risks?
Malware is not the only concern. Piracy-related sites and services can also expose users to phishing, fraud, or data theft. A peer-reviewed 2025 study analyzed 1,347 pirated video-streaming sites and examined malicious domains embedded in their pages. That work supports the narrower point that malicious domains can appear in this environment; it is not a population-wide comparison of infection rates. The study in Computers & Electrical Engineering was published in April 2025.
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Entering payment details can add a separate risk. UK government consumer guidance warns that the risk increases significantly when users exchange card information to view content on unregulated, pirate-run websites. GOV.UK guidance on illegal TV streaming devices also identifies fraud and data theft as concerns.
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How can you reduce the risk?
- Choose licensed sources. Use authorized streaming services or buy discs from legitimate sellers. The Office of the United States Trade Representative recommends licensed content sources as a safer alternative to piracy. USTR’s 2019 review also recommends antivirus software from legitimate providers.
- Do not enter card details on unregulated pirate-run sites. The UK government specifically flags payment-card exchange on these sites as an increased risk.
- Use security software from a legitimate provider. This is a general risk-reduction measure, not a guarantee against malware or fraud.
The cited studies do not establish that one named streaming service is safer than another. Licensing status and whether a site requests payment details are more defensible ways to judge the risks discussed here than a provider-by-provider malware ranking.
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