Over its range, Sunda Stink-badger is found in primary and secondary forests and open grounds such as gardens adjacent to forests (Payne et al. 1985, Holden 2006). In Sabah it is found in both primary and disturbed forests and from the periphery out to a least four kilometres from the forest edge of oil-palm plantations. It is unknown how far it is able to venture into the plantation landscape. In Sarawak it has been recorded in a pepper garden (Samejima et al. in prep.). It is quite clear that it is not dependent upon primary forest. Camera-trapping at salt-licks in Sabah found it to be a common visitor (Matsubayashi et al. 2006).

This species feeds on birds' eggs, carrion, insects, worms and plants (Long and Killingley 1983, Neal and Cheeseman 1996, Payne et al. 1985). Litter size is usually two to three (Wood 1865). It is nocturnal, sheltering in underground burrows during the day (Hwang and Larivière 2003).

It is currently unknown why the species has such a patchy distribution, especially on Borneo. The species' pattern of occurrence might be linked to earthworm density, soil characters, level of (perhaps mostly past) hunting and/or other factors.

Sunda Stink-badger is found on Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sumatra and the Natuna Islands in Indonesia, and in Sabah and Sarawak in Bornean Malaysia. So far there are no confirmed records from Brunei, but parts of the country are predicted to contain habitat suitable for the species (Samejima et al. in prep.). On Borneo it is among the most frequently recorded carnivore species in most camera-trapping studies in the Malaysian State of Sabah (Borneo Carnivore Symposium; Samejima et al. in prep.). It is found from the lowlands in central and eastern Sabah (e.g. Kinabatangan) up to the highlands in western Sabah (e.g. Crocker Range National Park, A. J. Hearn and J. Ross pers. comm. 2014). In Sarawak nearly all the rather few records are from the northeastern part (Limbang and North Miri division); records south of Miri division are very few, and local people often seem unfamiliar with the species (Giman and Jukie 2012, Samejima et al. in prep.). But in 2012, two animals were killed in the Serian district, southwest Sarawak (Samejima et al. in prep.). In Kalimantan this species seems to have been recorded recently only in north and east Kalimantan (e.g., Rustam and Giordano 2014), but it was also at least locally common in south, central and west Kalimantan in the beginning of the 20th century (e.g., Lyon 1911). In west Kalimantan a specimen was collected at the Melawi river near Sintang (Medway 1977) and the recently interviewed local people from this area were familiar with this species (Samejima et al. in prep.). In Java all known recent records are from west Java, but van Balen (1914) recorded it from the Dieng Plateau in central Java and there are further records from Mt Ardjuna and the Tenger Mountains in east Java (Horsfield 1824, Hassan 1892). In west Java it seems to be common in the remaining forests, with recent records from various sites including Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, Gunung Halimun Salak NP, Gunung Ciremai NP and Gunung Malabar Protected Forest (A. Ario pers. comm. 2014) at elevations from the lowlands up to 2,000 m asl; its status in non-forest areas is unclear. In Sumatra it has recently been recorded in Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park between 600 and 1,100 m asl (J. McCarthy pers. comm. 2014) in the south of the island, up to Aceh (between 870 and 1,740 m asl) in the north (M. Linkie pers. comm. 2014). Further recent records come from Kerinci Seblat NP (Holden 2006, M. Linkie pers. comm. 2014) and the Bukit Tigapuluh Landscape (P.H. Pratje and A.M. Moßbrucker pers. comm. 2014).

Sunda Stink-badger has been recorded in various protected areas in Borneo (particularly the northern half), Sumatra and Java, and is likely to occur in many more. It is not protected in Sarawak, but it is protected in Sabah (Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1998) and in Indonesia (PP RI No. 7, 1999).With no threats identified or suggested, a continued wide distribution and high frequency of records, there are no obvious conservation needs for this species. Continued coarse monitoring of its status might be useful.