Vasyl Lomachenko vs Luke Campbell live stream: Millions could illegally stream boxing despite dangers

‘There are many ways these sites allow attackers carry out cyber crime’

Millions of people were expected to watch Saturday night’s boxing match between Luke Campbell and Vasyl Lomachenko using illegal livestreams, despite dire warnings that it may put them at risk of cyber crime.

The number of illegal viewers tends to outstrip those watching via pay-per-view channels. But, as well as being against the law, experts have warned of the potential dangers this poses to security.

While pirate streaming sites are easily accessible from Google, livestreams of sporting events have become increasingly common across social media since sites like Facebook and Twitter allowed users to host live videos.

Previous analysis of illegal viewing figures suggests large-scale fights can encourage around 10 million people worldwide to tune into nefarious streams, despite the risks they carry.

Saturday's fight sees Campbell, from Hull, challenge lightweight Lomachenko for the WBC, WBA and WBO world titles.

“There are many ways these sites allow attackers carry out cyber crime, leaving streamers especially vulnerable to attacks,” threat intelligence analyst at EclecticIQ, Joseph Woodruff, previously told The Independent.

“These include, drive-by-downloads, malware downloaded without the user’s knowledge, pop-up windows that automatically download malware to computers.

“Alongside this, fake support sites and redirects that look legitimate and tell the user they have malware on their machine, recommending they call a support number – during this phone call the ‘support’ person installs software that gives the attackers a backdoor to the system.”

It appears that the platforms on which people stream content can vary drastically between each event.

June’s heavyweight contest between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr was watched illegally by more than 13 million people, according to privacy experts MUSO, with nearly a million UK viewers.

MUSO’s analysis suggested that 93 per cent of the 13 million illegal viewers had watched the fight on Youtube.

This compares to 18 per cent of the nearly 10 million who watched Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder on illegal Youtube streams in December – more than five times less than in June.

The number of people illegally watching the June fight was the largest the company had recorded, MUSO told the BBC.

With some sports fans livestreaming on social media so their friends to watch for free, broadcasters and police are finding creative ways to discourage illegal sports viewing.

Youtube uses tools intended to automatically spot and take down content that violates copyright and many streams are taken down before a sporting event has finished, while police have threatened to disable them at key points in the action.

Some broadcasters have begun to stream high-profile events freely on Youtube, as highlighted by BT Sport's decision in May to broadcast the Europa League and Champions League finals on the website.

Several people found to be broadcasting and watching illegal streams in the UK have been prosecuted, and fined five-figure sums.

Saturday’s fight is on Sky Sports Box Office and will cost £19.95. The broadcast set to start at 6pm BST, with replays shown at 9am and 4pm on Sunday.

You can live stream the card via Sky Go, or you can order it here and then download the app on your NOW TV Box or with Smart Stick.