Roku devices and Samsung smart TVs have easy-to-exploit security vulnerabilities, according to testing carried out by Consumer Reports.
"We found that a relatively unsophisticated hacker could change channels, play offensive content, or crank up the volume," the magazine says. "This could be done over the web, from thousands of miles away."
Consumer Reports points out that suddenly having channels change could be confusing or even frightening to someone who was unaware of why it was happening.
A smart TV is highly customizable and allows users to watch Internet-based sites like Netflix or Hulu on their televisions; however, the access to the Internet exposes them to hackers more than older TVs.
Consumer Reports found vulnerabilities in a TCL TV model using the Roku system, and they say it is also present in other models running the Roku platform. This is how the hackers could get in, according to Consumer Reports:
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1 comment:
I don't have cable or Fios available where I Live. I use Verizon Fusion, a cellular internet service. I Have tried Satellite but it was even slower than Fusion. For this reason, I have to closely to monitor my usage. Recently, I got a Samsung TV and followed the instructions without giving it a 2nd though. I hooked it up to the net. I was not using internet features and IDK what the thing was doing, but it was gobbling bandwith. I couldn't even connect or browse basic internet pages several hours later. All functionality to my internet was immediately restored when I pulled the plug on the TV. Just saying, maybe you guys would see the same thing if forced to pay attention ...
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