Cyber expert explains how people will get around new Amazon Fire Stick that 'stops illegal streaming'

A cyber expert has given his verdict on Amazon's plan to crack down on illegal streaming with a new Fire Stick.

Their newest model, the 4K Select, has been revamped so it runs on Amazon's own operating system Vega, which replaces the previous Android OS that earlier versions of the gadget had been using.

There's been a growing trend of people using dodgy devices which have had questionable apps sideloaded onto them to create a 'jailbroken' version to illegally stream content you'd otherwise have to pay for.

As you can imagine the places making this content and putting up paywalls between it and the audience aren't best pleased about this practice and there have been police crackdowns on people using these jailbroken gizmos to watch things without paying for them.

Sky, for example, told LADbible in a statement that they take this sort of thing 'extremely seriously' and called illegal streaming 'a serious threat to the UK's creative industries'.

Amazon are releasing a new Fire Stick which you can't 'jailbreak' by sideloading apps, so if you're going to be illegally streaming it won't be with their device (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

They're part of the BeStreamWise campaign which has previously warned that up to a third of people who illegally stream have become the victims of fraud, identity theft or other scams as a result of accessing unsafe streams, or they know someone who has been.

So you can see why Amazon have decided to introduce a device which ought to be harder to mess with.

Amazon intend that with their new Fire Stick you'll only be able to download apps from their own store - and apart from a few registered developers nobody else will be allowed to sideload things onto it so you can't jailbreak it.

Will this crack down on illegal streaming? According to chartered security professional James Bore it's unfortunately 'not going to really make a dent' in it since there are devices out there that are not the new Fire Stick.

The expert explained: "Not all illegal streaming uses Amazon Fire Sticks. People can use their own laptop, people can use their own home-built devices.

"It's not going to really make a dent except for the easy-to-get altered or edited Amazon Fire Sicks you can currently buy off eBay or Facebook Marketplace or wherever you want."

The cyber expert says it wouldn't be worth trying to jailbreak the new Fire Stick, but the bad news is other devices exist (Getty Stock Photo)

James also reckons that Amazon's switch to their own operating system won't make the new Fire Stick impervious to being cracked, but it would become much more difficult - to the point that'd it'd be 'very likely not worth the effort'.

He said he'd 'guarantee it's possible to find a way', but that anyone with the technical ability to do it would have a much easier time putting their nefarious skills to use on a cheaper, less secure device.

So if you want something safe that's going to work and protect you from the pitfalls of a dodgy streaming device then is the Amazon Fire Stick up to the task?

Yes, actually.

The good news is the new Fire Stick gets the thumbs up for security, the bad news is that even if one route becomes so much more difficult that it's basically pointless there are several alternative paths for hopping the fence.

These alternative options put people at risk of fraud due to malware on the device or accessing risky sites (Getty Stock Photo)

James told LADbible that at least Amazon would have the 'ability to sleep at night without the threat of lawsuits' over people jailbreaking their devices - but people looking for ways to stream illegally on some other dodgy device would find them and then run the risk of falling foul of all sorts of problems.

Explaining that this new device would carry 'some actual benefits for users' in the form of greater security, James warned that trying to stream illegally opened you up to malware.

Plus if you do get caught using one you could end up fined or in prison, with people selling them and running illegal streaming sites targeted as part of major investigations.

The cyber expert said that 'buying something that's fallen off the back of a truck after someone else has had their grubby mitts over it' is very dangerous, and warned that jailbroken devices 'might be capturing your password' or even 'your credit card number when you put it in'.

He added that in certain cases, most likely targeted at an individual, a dodgy gadget could be used as a listening device to spy on your conversations, though fortunately 'the average person is not interesting enough to be spied on with dodgy hardware'.

Closing the loopholes of technology that can be jailbroken may inspire other companies to follow suit (Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Fellow cyber expert Geoff Pestell, CEO of fibrecompare.com, said it was good that Amazon was 'closing this loophole' and he's more optimistic that it'll make a difference since it shuts 'one of the most common loopholes used for illegal streaming'.

It is at least fewer devices on the market susceptible to being cracked.

He said it would 'disrupt a huge part of the problem', since the Fire Stick is a particularly popular device, and also warned that people trying to find a way around this ran the risk of costing themselves more than they saved by dodging paywalls.

Geoff said: "When people bypass official streaming platforms, they’re not just breaking the law.

"They’re potentially exposing themselves to malware, phishing scams, data theft and other cyber threats. What might seem like a smart way to save a few pounds can end up costing far more in the long run."

Both experts said this move from Amazon might lead to action from other companies, with Geoff saying it could 'encourage other platforms and manufacturers to follow suit' while James suggested that Google might follow their fellow tech giant and look to make their devices safer.

The experts have warned that trying to get around paying for streaming could cost you more money in the long run - don't expect the scammer won't scam you (Getty Stock Photo)

So how do you properly stop illegal streaming?

According to James, the best way to do that is to offer something more convenient to the audience.

He said: "The solution to massively reduce illegal downloading was convenient streaming services which centralized a whole load of content and gave you it under one easy subscription.

"Now they've fragmented. We're now back in a place where [illegal options are] becoming more popular because there's more barriers to people getting to see the content they want.

"The solution to it is present an easy, convenient legal option and it's been shown people will go for convenience with a bit of cost over doing anything illegal. The more obstacles you introduce, the more motivation there is for people to go down dodgier routes."