02 January 2013, 10:42

Worth Reading: Smart, but insecure Samsung TVs

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Millions of people have a computer in their living room – and don't even realise it: modern TV sets include powerful processors that enable them to provide easy access to apps and web services. However, security expert Lee Seung-Jin discovered that big shortfalls appear to exist in terms of security. He took a look at Samsung's popular Smart TV platform and found a variety of security issues.

To start with, it appears that all apps run at root privilege level in a sandbox on the Linux-based operating system. But the sandbox isn't particularly robust either, noted the researcher, who found about ten security holes in the APIs which give access to components such as the TV's camera and microphone. He continues describing further potential attack vectors such as over the network, through specially crafted USB flash drives, infra-red remote controls, and even the TV signal being received.