From the «pirates pirating pirates» department:
Title: Men Arrested in Magis TV Piracy Raids Also Face Malicious Software Charges
Author: Andy Maxwell
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:29:38 +0000
Link:
https://torrentfreak.com/men-arrested-in-magis-tv-piracy-raids-also-face-malicious-software-charges-241114/[image 1]There are dozens of recognizable brands in the illegal streaming
market, all jostling for position in a chaotic market where trademarks are
copied even more readily than movies or live TV streams.
In Latin America, one brand stands out more than most, and not just because it
has a bright orange logo. Believed to operate out of China, illegal streaming
service Magis TV is consumed via a now ubiquitous Android app, made available
on hundreds of websites, including those operated by a very large network of
resellers.
Rightsholders in the United States consider Magis TV a priority threat yet
despite various enforcement measures in multiple countries, the service remains
stubbornly online.
Law Enforcement Operation in Colombia
On the back of action in Ecuador[2], Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina[3] in recent
months, police in Colombia targeted people involved in the supply of Magis TV
earlier this week.
Information released by the Attorney General’s Office indicates that two
brothers, arrested after being tracked by the Specialized Directorate Against
Computer Crimes, had been providing access to illegal TV streams under the
brands ‘Magis TV’ and ‘Magis Oficial.’
In common with the majority of similar cases, the pair stand accused of
violating the intellectual property rights of multinational entertainment
companies.
Brothers arrested (image credit: Fiscalía Colombia)[image 4]
While operations like these aren’t especially rare, the charges faced by the
brothers go beyond copyright infringement.
Piracy and Malicious Software Charges
“The brothers Juan Diego and José Daniel Santacruz Benavidez were arrested
following investigations carried out by the CTI and the National Police in
Pasto (Nariño). These people were brought before a judge and charged with the
crimes of violation of copyright and use of malicious software,” the official
statement[5] reads.
“Those interested in acquiring these tools, called ‘Magis TV’ and ‘Magis
Official’, accessed two websites to download them and thus access the
audiovisual offer; however, they also installed malicious software on their
devices that enabled the camera, alerted about the user’s geolocation, and
facilitated the transmission of personal data, photographs and videos, to
external storage.”
As previously reported[3], cybersecurity firm ESET previously linked Magis TV
to malware and botnets. As far as we’re aware, these data exfiltration claims
are new but since the Magis TV app comes in many shapes and sizes, there’s no
one-size-fits-all analysis that applies across the board.
Malware Claims Gain Credibility in Colombia
Rightsholders have fully embraced malware warnings as part of their deterrent
messaging in recent years. Unfortunately, the manner in which those claims are
delivered meets a credibility crisis that’s difficult to overcome.
On one hand, malware and similar issues are portrayed as incredibly serious for
consumers. Yet when other piracy risks are discussed in parallel – such as
being arrested by the police for simply watching pirate IPTV – the emphasis is
suddenly back on a comparatively minor crime for which the police continually
find the resources.
The end result is a stream of pirates prosecuted for copyright infringement or
fraud repeatedly hitting the headlines. Meanwhile, prosecutions for spreading
malware, stealing identities, and other serious offenses, are completely
non-existent.
Through this action, malware warnings have just become instantly more credible;
they may even find support among the public.
Enforcement Action in Ecuador
The war against Magis TV in Ecuador has been underway for some time, with
numerous blocking orders[2] attempting to prevent access to dozens, if not
hundreds of websites.
Information released by police on Wednesday announced the arrest of a man in
the province of Guayas, said to be behind “one of the largest illegal streaming
providers.” When contacted by local publication Primicias[6] seeking
clarification, police confirmed that this operation also targeted Magis TV.
A short video posted to X by Ecuadorian Police, is a reminder that the IT
Crowd’s parody[7] of ‘Piracy, It’s a Crime’ just a few years ago, is now just
one restless finger away from becoming reality.
DETENCIÓN DE CIUDADANO POR EL DELITO DE ACCESO NO CONSENTIDO A UN SISTEMA
INFORMÁTICO
En #Guayas[8], labores investigativas permitieron detener a un implicado en
la distribución de servicios de una aplicación de streaming a través de una
página web, el ciudadano comercializaba el… pic.twitter.com/t0EUTglfkc[9]
— Policía Ecuador (@PoliciaEcuador) November 13, 2024[10]
An Extra.ec report[11] published late Wednesday identifies Javier Eduardo López
Cassan as the man arrested. He’s described as an “administrator of Magis TV”
but what that means here is unclear. Resellers commonly have their own Magis
TV-branded websites while others sell via social media; 51-year-old Cassan sold
via WhatsApp and other platforms, police confirmed.
In any event, police weren’t taking anything for granted, as the video shows.
“More than 20 agents from different units participated in the operation,
including the National Cybercrime Unit, the G3 Tactical Group of Guayaquil,
plus Criminalistics and the Law Enforcement Unit (UMO). According to the
Judiciary, López Cassan already had a criminal record for concealing stolen
objects and had two legal proceedings for failure to comply with alimony
obligations,” the publication reported.
Whether copyright charges will feature in this case isn’t made clear but
according to the authorities, cybercrime offenses most certainly will. Cassan
is facing charges of ‘unauthorized access to a computer, telematic or
telecommunications system,’ which carries a potential sentence of between three
and five years in prison.
From: TF[12], for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.
Links:
[1]:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/magis_tv_s.png (image)
[2]:
https://torrentfreak.com/magistv-piracy-blocking-efforts-in-ecuador-expand-trademark-application-denied-240812/ (link)
[3]:
https://torrentfreak.com/magis-tv-iptv-crackdown-blocks-70-domains-hundreds-already-wiped-out-240918/ (link)
[4]:
https://torrentfreak.com/images/magis-tv-colombia.png (image)
[5]:
https://www.fiscalia.gov.co/colombia/noticias/fiscalia-identifica-a-dos-senalados-provedores-de-servicio-ilegal-de-television-por-streaming/ (link)
[6]:
https://www.primicias.ec/sucesos/magistv-detenido-ecuador-distribuidor-magistv-83246/ (link)
[7]:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALZZx1xmAzg (link)
[8]:
https://twitter.com/hashtag/Guayas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw (link)
[9]:
https://t.co/t0EUTglfkc (link)
[10]:
https://twitter.com/PoliciaEcuador/status/1856756424891928873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw (link)
[11]:
https://www.extra.ec/noticia/actualidad/magis-tv-ecuador-detenido-son-antecedentes-penales-115386.html (link)
[12]:
https://torrentfreak.com/ (link)
Magis TV