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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) issued an advisory on Wednesday (Nov 12) warning members of the public about the dangers of using non-certified streaming devices.<\/p>\n
Commonly known as Android TV boxes, these devices are used to watch streamed content on TVs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While certified Android TV boxes will support official, licensed applications such as Netflix and Disney+, non-certified devices often support illegal streaming sites or distribute malicious applications, SPF and CSA said in a joint news release.<\/p>\n
“Users who visit illegal streaming sites or download unofficial applications through their non-certified TV boxes may be exposed to malware that can compromise their home networks and personal information,” they said.<\/p>\n
The authorities added that such malware will infect users’ devices with malicious applications, turning them into part of a botnet \u2013 a network of compromised computers used to carry out cyberattacks such as distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks and spam campaigns.<\/p>\n
The malware also commonly steals users’ personal data and users’ internet protocol, or IP, addresses to commit crimes, including phishing, ad fraud and running online scams.<\/p>\n
“Users affected by such malware may notice slow device performance, unusual account behaviour, persistent pop-ups, suspicious programmes and system instability on their devices,” said the police and CSA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n