Magis TV Alert: Why the free TV and soccer app can damage your computer and TV

Magis TV is perhaps the app that has gained popularity the fastest in recent months. This is mainly due to its free access to pay TV , sporting events, movies, and series. While many users install it on their cell phones , there's also a growing trend to use it from laptops or TV boxes .

The problem is that, in addition to being illegal , it represents a serious risk to the digital security of any device.

Laptops connected to a TV via an HDMI cable can be used to stream content that Magis TV distributes illegally . However, this quest for free access can expose users to very serious risks .

Unlike services like Flow, DirecTV Go or Claro TV, which use IPTV technology legitimately, Magis TV works as a pirate content distribution system : someone pays for an official signal, intercepts it and redistributes it to thousands of users outside of any legal framework .

Since it is not available in official stores or platforms like the Microsoft Store , users must download Magis TV from unverified repositories or links circulating on forums and social media.

The file usually comes in APK format for Android emulators or as an executable (.exe) adapted for Windows. In both cases, any prior security checks are avoided.

Cybersecurity experts warn that these types of "manual" installations open the door to multiple threats . By running Magis TV on a laptop, the software can access critical system resources: network connections, personal files, stored banking information , browsing history, and more.

In many cases, these types of pirated apps include Trojans or "infostealers" (programs designed to collect passwords, credit card details, and other sensitive information), especially if you're browsing on the same home Wi-Fi network.

ESET , a leading company in proactive threat detection, warns that the eagerness to watch the latest series was the basis for a group of cybercriminals to distribute malware for Android TV Boxes through malicious applications, which caused more than 2,000 distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

One of the apps implicated in this operation is Magis TV, along with Tele Latino and You Cine, among other streaming platforms of dubious origin.

According to the latest ESET Threat Report, the devices were targeted by a Trojan-type malware related to Mirai , a well-known botnet that allows attackers to remotely control infected devices to launch spam, steal data, or overwhelm servers via DDoS. ESET detected it as Android.Pandora , first described in September 2023 by Dr. Web.

"Among the most palpable consequences we find, first and foremost, the leakage of personal information , whether through applications sending their own data to servers whose owners and security are unknown, or also through the integration of aggressive behavioral trackers for advertising purposes," says Martina López, IT security specialist at ESET Latin America, in an interview with Clarín .

And he adds: "In addition, the installation of malicious codes that aim to steal as much information as possible , whether credentials, documents, images. There have even been certain cases where this type of cyberattack then leads to theft of money , which is perhaps the first alert that the affected user has, but also even identity theft."

On the other hand, in forums such as Reddit and GitHub, several users who tested Magis TV on PC reported anomalous behavior of their systems: unexpected connections to external servers, overheating of the equipment, appearance of hidden processes and even hacked accounts .

Although attacks using variants such as Gafgyt and BotenaGo decreased by 59% in the second half of 2023, the number of zombie devices serving these networks grew by 58%, exceeding 168,000 devices worldwide .

Therefore, specialists recommend:

On the other hand, many small electronic devices that use Android TV —such as TV boxes and sticks from Amazon or Xiaomi—also often come with Magis TV pre-installed or available for download. While the risks aren't exactly the same as with a laptop, security experts warn that connecting them to a TV could compromise your home network or facilitate the spread of computer viruses ( malware ).

"Beyond the issue of copyright infringement, when we're talking about a device like a television where there are no other applications, where the information the user enters is genuinely very little, the main risk is that the television will be used as part of a botnet , where cybercriminals set up these types of networks to then be able to carry out other cyberattacks or even sell them in packages to other cyberattackers so that they can carry out, for example, a denial of service."

And he concludes: "Although it does not affect the user directly, that is to say, there is perhaps no direct theft of information, a theft of money, of access credentials, it is true that it ends up with their television and the processing and computing capacity of the television, which seems very little, but if we are talking about a set of televisions, of Smart TVs, it genuinely has an impact and becomes involved in activities that in the future will be criminal ."