Smart TVs can be Hacked, Consumer Reports Says
The Smart TV, an interactive television set integrated with the internet, is quickly making its way to households around the globe. Unfortunately, the exact features it is famous for may also be making it vulnerable to hackers.
According to Consumer Reports, several smart TVs have basic security flaws. They analyzed big TV brands like Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio, and streaming platform Roku and saw that all have the capability to track user activities. Consumer Reports is a nonprofit organization that focuses on unbiased product testing.
"Smart TVs can identify every show you watch using a technology called automatic content recognition," said the report. This means that Smart TVs can monitor personal TV show preferences. With this, data collection from Smart TV users also becomes easier.
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The report also showed that hackers could easily control the remote controls of some TVs. They could change the channels and the volumes and play offensive videos, even over the web.
Specifically, Consumer Reports found that Roku had an unsecured remote control application programming interface (API) set as default. This means that it would be easier for hackers to take control of the remote.
A Roku spokeswoman reached out to Consumer Reports through email and said, "There is no security risk to our customers' accounts or the Roku platform with the use of this API." The spokeswoman added that the control feature could be disabled. But, Consumer Reports pointed out that this required knowledge by users.
Further, Samsung was also found to be vulnerable to hacking. Although they had a more secure mechanism, Consumer Reports said that once a mobile device was connected to the TV, hackers would already be able to control it.
Samsung replied in an email saying, "We appreciate Consumer Reports' alerting us to their potential concern." The company promised to evaluate the issue and release a 2018 update to help secure data.
The organization tested TVs with the help of the Digital Standard, a collaborative effort aimed to protect the privacy and security of consumer software.
