In 2023, cybersecurity firms noted a spike in “Aurora stealer” malware distributed via similar movie piracy sites. The malware exfiltrated browser credentials and sent them to remote servers.

Rohan was a cybersecurity student. He knew the dangers of malware, trackers, and honeypots. But the site had no scripts, no cookies, nothing. It was a bare directory. He typed a random name from a news headline — a politician caught in a scandal a decade ago.

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