Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — As much as 72% of first-page search results for films in Uzbekistan lead to pirated websites, compared with 63% in Kazakhstan, according to a study by cybersecurity company F6. The study also found that 38.9% of the pirated sites analysed in Uzbekistan and 58.8% in Kazakhstan posed risks to users.
Analysts from F6’s Digital Risk Protection department examined search results for 50 queries related to popular films and television series. In Kazakhstan, 84% of links in the top search position led to pirated resources, compared with 66% in Uzbekistan. In Russia, the figure was 1%.
According to the study, online piracy in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is dominated by Russian-language websites.
A new pirated video delivery service, FlixCDN, emerged in 2026. The content delivery network targets Russian-speaking audiences in Commonwealth of Independent States countries. The service is available in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan but does not operate in Russia.
In Kazakhstan, 99.7% of the resources distributing a foreign film examined in the study targeted Russian-speaking audiences. Local piracy sites accounted for 0.3%. Some portals offer access to popular films and series through subscriptions, with prices on one site ranging from 750 to 3,000 tenge.
Telegram was the leading channel for distributing illegal copies through legitimate video-hosting platforms, social networks and messaging services in Kazakhstan, accounting for more than 97% of detected violations in this category. Content was distributed free of charge or through paid VIP channels costing 500 tenge.
In Uzbekistan, 95% of the piracy sites distributing the foreign film examined were Russian-language resources, while 5% were local. Local sites were more prevalent than in Kazakhstan and made greater use of advertising displayed outside video players. Telegram accounted for more than 93% of detected violations involving the distribution of illegal copies.
Pirated resources also distribute domestic films. Among the sites offering a Kazakh film, 93.5% were Russian-language websites, with content presented in the original audio with Russian subtitles. For an Uzbek film, 86% of the resources were Russian-language sites and 14% were local.
The study found differences in the safety of pirated websites. In Uzbekistan, 8.2% of the sites checked were classified as safe, 52.9% as relatively safe and 38.9% as dangerous. In Kazakhstan, the respective figures were 4.7%, 36.5% and 58.8%.
Torrent files pose an additional threat because they may contain malicious software, including information-stealing programs, cryptocurrency miners, trojans and remote access tools (RATs).
Evelina Perekhodyuk, a first-line CERT lead analyst in F6’s Digital Risk Protection department, said online piracy harms copyright holders and exposes users to risks, including personal data leaks and malware infections.
F6 specialists recommend watching films and series on legitimate platforms, avoiding suspicious links shared through social networks and messaging apps, refraining from downloading torrents containing illegal content, using antivirus software and keeping browsers updated.
Advertising for casinos and betting services may also indicate that a website is operating illegally. Experts advise reporting detected piracy sites to copyright holders or the relevant authorities.
