WASHINGTON D.C. — There are tens of thousands of illegal piracy websites that offer free movies, TV shows and games to users.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
It’s a roughly $2 billion-plus industry.
The very nature of piracy websites means they are not regulated since they are already illegal, and a new report is revealing cybercriminals are taking advantage of that vulnerability.
The report from Digital Citizens Alliance found that 12% of total ads on piracy websites involve malware.
Read: ‘You guys have literally saved my life’: WWP, Harley-Davidson give local veteran new motorcycle
“Investigators found malware on piracy sites designed to gain access to a user’s device to steal banking information, download spyware to track a user’s activities, or flag it for a potential future attack,” the report said.
Cybercriminals can cash in on users with just a few clicks.
“Criminals are engaged in a very clever but dangerous ‘trick-to-click’ scheme,” said Tom Galvin, Executive Director of Digital Citizens Alliance.
Sometimes ads may look like they are offering a free product, or a scare tactic to convince users to hand over information.
Read: Fanatics to hold job fair in Jacksonville, looking to fill 1,300 jobs
Galvin said his organization’s own investigators were hit with a ransomware attack while looking into the issue on a piracy website.
“Our computer was taken over,” said Galvin. “Our files were encrypted and then we received a message, a demand for money, to be able to decrypt these files and get access to them again.”
The report found that nearly eight out of 10 pirate sites investigated had malware-ridden ads.
“We are on a cusp of a malware epidemic and the simple act of searching on piracy websites in search of free movies, TV shows and games is helping fuel that,” said Galvin.
Read: ‘We will arrest you and we will take your car’: Jacksonville police continue street racing crackdown
This report comes as law enforcement and members of Congress have been investigating the overall rise in ransomware attacks in recent years.
Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security testified about the danger to everyone.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“They target large and smaller targets, whether it’s large corporations, small or medium enterprises, hospitals, local governments or schools,” said Iranga Kahangama, Assistant Secretary for Cyber, Infrastructure, Risk and Resilience, Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, during a House hearing in June.
Galvin is hoping the new findings will make users think twice before logging on to a piracy website.
“When someone goes on a piracy website and gets infected, that can lead to a small business being shut down,” said Galvin. “It could lead to serious confidential documents being compromised.”
Galvin said the group is engaging with government organizations and the ad community to address this issue, and it is creating education programs for users about the dangers.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Read:
Read:
Read:
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
