A police website in the United Kingdom may have been hijacked by pirates.
While tracking down some Freedom of Information Act requests filed with other police forces in the area, Torrent Freak noticed a strange font on the department’s “opcc-maintenance” subdomain.
In addition, the publication spotted “hundreds” of police URLs containing the “opcc-maintenance” domain while advertising illegal sporting event live streams. One link redirected Torrent Freak to a link for the Australian Open.
This comes as the increasing demand for live sports content and the multitude of available streaming services — along with their climbing prices — inflame the illegal streaming problem.
These factors, plus the ever-evolving nature of technology used by cybercriminals, make it almost impossible for government agencies, independent groups, and law enforcement around the world to fully eradicate the problem.
For context, earlier this week The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, or ACE, took down dozens of domains linked to pirated live football streaming sites. The organization also redirected more than 150 domains and subdomains linked to three dozen illegal football streaming sites back to its anti-piracy portal.
While the action effectively shut down the streams, illegal IPTV operations liken to the Hydra in Greek mythology — chop off one head, and three more take its place.
According to the report, Avon & Somerset Police have been informed via its crime reporting portal.
The police department wasn’t immediately available for comment.
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