Digital copyright offenses and cybersecurity require prioritized awareness. Piracy websites are indeed a significant vector for the dissemination of malware
"The ISB Institute of Data Sciences has released a report on cybersecurity."
March 21, Mumbai, Piracy websites have become a major medium for spreading malware. Consumers are not just watching pirated movies or TV shows, they are compromising their 'device' and your 'device' is 'another you'. It contains your identity, your banking details, details of your friends and family. Things which were ambiguous for many years are now revealed in this report. The ISB (Indian School of Business) report is the beginning of this change, Brijesh Singh, Director General, Directorate General of Information and Public Relations and Principal Secretary, Chief Minister's Office expressed the opinion.
A comprehensive study on cyber security was conducted by ISB (Indian School of Business). The report on the study was released by Brijesh Singh, Principal Secretary, Chief Minister's Office, John Cabeka, US Intellectual Property Advisor for South Asia, Neil Gane, Regional Operations Head, and Prof. ISB's Institute of Data Science. Manish Gangwar and other dignitaries in a program organized at Consulate, Mumbai.
On this occasion Executive Director Manish Gangwar, Assistant Prof. Cyber Security Department at La Trobe University (Melbourne). Dr. Paul Waters, Karin Temple also gave their views.
'ISB Institute of Data Science' Prof. Gangwar and Dr. Dr. Shruti Mantri, Assistant Professor of Cyber Security at La Trobe University, Melbourne. The event 'The Piracy-Malware Nexus in India: A Perception and Experience and Empirical Analysis' by Paul Waters was organized by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), ISB Institute of Data Science (IIDS) and ACE in the United States at Consulate, Mumbai. Organized in collaboration with the Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Findings from the report
The report found that accessing piracy sites poses a 59 percent higher risk of malware infection, compared to 57 percent for adult industries and 53 percent for gambling-related advertising. An analysis of 150 websites using 'Virus Total' revealed cyber risks such as malware, suspicious activity, phishing attempts and spam. Users of “scam piracy websites” are at a higher risk of exposure to cyber threats compared to standard piracy websites.
Online piracy in India has been profitable to generate additional revenue for malware distribution piracy site operators. Indian consumers underestimate their true cyber risk when using piracy sites, emphasizing the urgent need to address cyber security threats associated with piracy websites. A Ground Perception and Experience Study conducted by cyber security experts at the Indian School of Business (ISB) has revealed that piracy websites are a major threat to Indian consumers with a 59 percent risk of malware infection. Of particular concern is the fact that users aged 18-24 years who are most engaged on these platforms were found to have a low awareness of cyber threats.
This survey was conducted from 23 to 29 May 2023. It includes 1,037 respondents from India as part of the 'YouGov' National Omnibus. Data were balanced to represent the online population above 18 years of age based on population characteristics based on the frequency ratio of adult citizens of India.
The full report is available at https://www.isb.edu/content/dam/sites/isb/India-Piracy-and-Cyber-Threats-Report-DM.pdf.
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