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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →One widely cited estimate says malware risk on piracy sites can be up to 65 times higher than on legitimate websites in a worst-case Southeast Asia scenario—not “65% higher” for every illegal-streaming site. Separate research in Latin America reported different figures. These are study comparisons, not the probability that a particular visitor will get infected.
What does the “65 times” figure mean?
The figure comes from a July 2025 Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) release about an ACE-commissioned study of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The release says consumers in the worst case were up to 65 times more likely to be infected with malware while using piracy sites than legitimate websites. It is an upper-bound result tied to that study’s setting, not a universal rate or a claim that risk is 65% higher. The underlying report’s full methodology is not available in the release, so the number should be attributed to ACE’s summary rather than treated as a result established for every country or site. ACE release distributed through AAP
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What did the Latin America study find?
A separate 2026 report by Paul A. Watters of Macquarie University and Cyberstronomy Pty Ltd examined piracy sites in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile. Commissioned by ACE, it used VirusTotal, which aggregates information from more than 90 antivirus, sandbox and threat-intelligence providers, to assess cyber-risk indicators. The report estimated the average relative risk at 21.77 times under its best-case model and 39.18 times under its worst-case model. Those are model-based comparisons for the six-country study, not a visitor’s individual chance of infection. Watters, Consumer Risk from Piracy in Latin America
The report also gives a category-specific result of up to 131 times higher risk for streaming portals in its worst-case comparison. Separately, it recorded 131 threat detections for Colombian streaming sites—the largest country-category count reported. A detection count is not a count of infected people, and it is not the same measure as a risk ratio. Study report
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Why the numbers do not predict what happens to an individual
Both sets of figures describe comparisons or detections in particular research settings. The Latin America report’s best- and worst-case assumptions affect its estimates; its threat-intelligence indicators do not establish that a person visiting a particular site will be infected. Likewise, the Southeast Asia release’s “up to” figure should not be read as an average applying to all piracy sites.
A peer-reviewed 2025 paper analyzing 1,347 pirated video-streaming sites describes malicious domains embedded in streaming pages and presents a detection framework. It supports the narrower point that these pages can include malicious domains; it does not provide the same kind of population-level comparison as the ACE-commissioned studies. Study in Computers & Electrical Engineering
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What other risks can illegal streaming create?
Malware is not the only concern. ACE’s summary of its studies also identifies phishing, financial fraud and data compromise. UK government guidance warns about fraud and data theft, with particular concern when people enter payment-card details on unregulated, pirate-run sites. The guidance states: “This risk increases significantly when you exchange credit or debit card information to view content on unregulated and pirate-run websites.” GOV.UK consumer guidance
ACE Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer Larissa Knapp said: “These studies make clear that illegal streaming sites and illicit devices are not just unlawful, they expose consumers to serious and measurable harm,” ACE commissioned the cited studies, so its statement should be understood in that context. ACE summary of the Latin America study
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How to reduce your exposure
- Choose licensed viewing sources. UK guidance points to paid streaming or buying discs as lawful alternatives. A U.S. government review likewise advises using licensed content sources. GOV.UK guidance Office of the U.S. Trade Representative review
- Do not enter payment-card details on unregulated pirate-run sites. Such sites can expose users to fraud and data theft, and the UK government specifically flags the added concern of exchanging card information. GOV.UK guidance
- Use security software from a legitimate provider. This is a risk-reduction measure, not a guarantee that a site or device is safe. Office of the U.S. Trade Representative review
The available studies do not establish that one named streaming service is safer than another. Licensing and whether a site is an unregulated pirate-run operation are the relevant distinctions supported by this evidence.
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