Study Finds Consumers up to 65 Times More Likely to be Infected with Malware When Using Piracy Sites

ACE-Commissioned Report Analyzes Exposure to Malware, Phishing, and Other Cyber Harms Associated with Piracy Use in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE, July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study released today and commissioned by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world's leading antipiracy coalition, highlights the increased cyber risk for those in Southeast Asia who engage with piracy sites and services.

Among other findings, the study revealed that in the worst case, local consumers are up to 65 times more likely to be infected with malware when using piracy sites as compared to legitimate websites.

The report, titled "Consumer Risk from Piracy in Southeast Asia," explored activity in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Study author Dr. Paul Watters is a cybersecurity researcher and thought leader at Cyberstronomy Pty Ltd., Honorary Professor of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, and Professor of Information Systems at Holmesglen Institute.

"As this study makes clear, the risks and ramifications substantially increase for those in Southeast Asia who visit piracy sites," said Watters. "Though efforts to curb digital piracy are ongoing, these stark results require additional action – such as smart tools and proven measures – to mitigate the relevant digital threats in each country."

Overall, the study concluded that piracy sites—including streaming piracy platforms, P2P networks, IPTV services, scam portals, anime piracy sites, and manga repositories—carry a cyber threat risk more than 22 times higher than that of mainstream legitimate sites.

"The research findings reaffirm the extensive harms piracy networks inflict upon consumers and the economy in Southeast Asia," said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the Motion Picture Association. "We applaud Dr. Watters and his team for their work in revealing the dangers of using these illicit sources, and we look forward to further collaboration with law enforcement throughout the region to detect these bad actors, deter future misdeeds, and dismantle unlawful operations that endanger a thriving creative marketplace."

Other key findings from the study include:

• In the worst case, peer-to-peer ("P2P") networks, scam portals, and streaming piracy sites carry the highest relative risks of cyber threats.
• Consumers in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia have the highest average relative risk of encountering a cyber threat from a piracy service - each approaching or exceeding a 34-fold increase over legitimate sites.
• By contrast, the study uncovered almost no cyber risks on the most popular mainstream (non-piracy) websites in the region.
  

The full study is available here.

About The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment

The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world's leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legal creative market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and unauthorized content sources and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 50 media and entertainment companies around the world—including sports channels and associations—and reinforced by the Motion Picture Association's content protection operations, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drives the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are Amazon, Apple TV+, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE.