IPTV content abuse and measures for improving delivery of IPTV content

In spite of all efforts within the IPTV system to implement robust protection mechanisms, attackers manage to find a way to retransmit content to users who do not have right on it so they damage service providers for certain part of the their legal incomes. This paper presents practical examples of abuse of IPTV content. Several scenarios are created, which are based on the fact that subscribers of IPTV service perform abuse of content in a way that they illegally retransmit content which they have paid for or that they illegally record some content. Examples are derived from the author's experience of working on a real IPTV system, security threats and abuse that he is encountered by. Some recommendations are also given, that should be followed by administrators during the establishment of the IPTV system, which decrease potential risks of abuse.