Is Your Smart TV Spying on You?

New York State Senator Chuck Schumer recently issued a warning to all smart TV owners:  If your TV is equipped with a camera and can connect to the Internet, it could be used to spy on you.  Yes, your smart TV is capable of allowing a hacker to steal your credit card information, or worse, your identity.  Not only that, but a hacker can remote-access your TV’s camera and watch everything you do in the room that the smart TV is in.  To make matters worse, these TVs don’t have much in the way of security settings. 

Researchers Aaron Grattafiori and Josh Yavor were at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Nevada recently and showed how a smart TV can be hacked.  During the demonstration, they were able to control social media and any other application installed on the TV, they accessed files and even turned on the camera.  If they were able to do this, anyone else can do it too.  It’s like giving up your remote control to a hacker.

Mr. Grattafiori spoke with Mashable regarding this issue (Your Smart TV Can Be Hacked to Spy on You).  He said, “Because the TV only has a single user, any type of compromise into an application or into Smart Hub, which is the operating system – the smarts of the TV – has the same permission as every user, which is, you can do everything and anything.”

Grattafiori and Yavor, who work for iSEC Partners, a security firm, began looking into the issues with smart TVs in December of 2012.  They notified Samsung about this security breach in January 2013.  Samsung issued a statement to CNN shortly after claiming that “patches” have been issued to plug up the holes in security (Your TV Might be Watching You), which now makes it difficult for hackers to break into your smart TV.

It seems that the issue exists because applications on smart TVs are written in HTML5 or Javascript, which makes them open to even the simplest hacker attacks.  

With this in mind, it’s best to be extra cautious even if you have a patch installed on your TV.  Make sure you install any and all updates and, as with any device that can access the Internet, stay away from any websites that are not proven to be secure.  Staying away from social media will also keep you fairly safe from spying, however, manufacturers have suggested taping over your smart TV’s camera if you are still feeling a bit queasy about being watched.  Of course, by unhooking your TV from the Internet connection will make it impossible for a hacker to get in.

So, the next time you are snuggling with your significant other, watching a romantic movie on your smart TV, remember that you may not be as alone as you think.  Could someone be watching you without your knowledge?  Maybe it’s best to keep the smart TV out of the bedroom until better security is built in.

In this world of ever-changing technology, it’s best to make sure your privacy and identity remain safe.  Please take a few moments to download the free Privacy Guide located at the top of this page.  In it, you will find many tips and suggestions on how you can stay safe on and off line.