You have been warned! Cracked Fire Stick TVs and other “modified gadgets” expose you to risks

Always for The sunMarigos Bridis, CTO at NordVPN, wanted to explain why introducing these modified devices into our homes could lead to serious security issues. According to him, the majority of users will not be able to notice whether the device they received contains malware or not. In particular, he explains that hackers can find easy entry points to steal your personal information, such as your banking, identity details, contacts, or even your email and message history: “Your TVs, Wi-Fi or smart home devices are unlikely to be protected and can be an easy entry point for cybercriminals.”.

Once malware gains access to your network and the devices connected to it, it can “Connect to a wider network of bots and use them by cybercriminals to generate revenue by mining cryptocurrencies or clicking on ads.”.

All this, of course, is in addition to the legal consequences that users are exposed to. In France as in Great Britain, although penalties are imposed on users, prosecutions and convictions focus primarily on distributors and sellers of these illegal services. However, the noose is tightening more than ever, as we see for example in Italy, where the possibility of using an automated system to distribute fines to users, up to 5,000 euros, has recently been discussed.