Hotstar India’s largest video streaming service with more than 300 million users disabled support for Apple’s Safari web browser on Friday to mitigate a security flaw that allowed unauthorized use of its platform, they told TechCrunch. two sources familiar with the subject.
The incident comes at a time when the streaming service, operated by Star India, part of the 20th Century Fox that Disney acquired, enjoys peak attention as millions of people watch the ICC World Cup cricket tournament on your platform.
When users started complaining about not being able to use Hotstar in Safari, the company’s official support account claimed that “technical limitations” on Apple’s part were the bottleneck. “These limitations have been from Safari; we can do very little with this, “the account posted on Friday night.
Hotstar sources told TechCrunch that this was not an accurate description of the event. Instead, the company’s engineers identified a security hole that was being exploited by unauthorized users to access and distribute Hotstar’s content, including the premium catalog.
Hotstar intends to work on patching the bug soon and then reestablishing support for Safari, the sources said.
The security flaw can only be exploited through Safari’s desktop and mobile browsers. On its website, the company recommends users to try Chrome and Firefox, or their mobile apps, to access the service. Hotstar declined to comment.
Hotstar, which competes with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in India, maintains a solid advantage in the local video streaming market (based on number of users and engagement). Last month, it claimed to have set a new global record by attracting more than 18 million viewers to a live cricket match.
