Samsung and Roku Smart TVs Vulnerable to Hacking, Consumer Reports Finds

["Dave Farber" <farber () gmail com>]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
> Date: February 8, 2018 at 6:59:52 AM EST
> To: Multiple recipients of Dewayne-Net <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
> Subject: [Dewayne-Net] Samsung and Roku Smart TVs Vulnerable to Hacking, Consumer Reports Finds
> Reply-To: dewayne-net () warpspeed com
>
> Samsung and Roku Smart TVs Vulnerable to Hacking, Consumer Reports Finds
> Security and privacy testing of several brands also reveals broad-based data collection. How to limit your exposure.
> By Consumer Reports
> Feb 7 2018
> <https://www.consumerreports.org/televisions/samsung-roku-smart-tvs-vulnerable-to-hacking-consumer-reports-finds/>
>
> Consumer Reports has found that millions of smart TVs can be controlled by hackers exploiting easy-to-find security 
> flaws. 
>
> The problems affect Samsung televisions, along with models made by TCL and other brands that use the Roku TV smart-TV 
> platform, as well as streaming devices such as the Roku Ultra.
>
> We found that a relatively unsophisticated hacker could change channels, play offensive content, or crank up the 
> volume, which might be deeply unsettling to someone who didn’t understand what was happening. This could be done over 
> the web, from thousands of miles away. (These vulnerabilities would not allow a hacker to spy on the user or steal 
> information.)
>
> The findings were part of a broad privacy and security evaluation, led by Consumer Reports, of smart TVs from top 
> brands that also included LG, Sony, and Vizio.
>
> The testing also found that all these TVs raised privacy concerns by collecting very detailed information on their 
> users. Consumers can limit the data collection. But they have to give up a lot of the TVs’ functionality—and know the 
> right buttons to click and settings to look for. (see below.)
>
> Data Collection in the Living Room
>
> This is the first time Consumer Reports has carried out a test based on our new Digital Standard, which was developed 
> by CR and partner cybersecurity and privacy organizations to help set expectations for how manufacturers should 
> handle privacy, security, and other digital rights.
>
> The goal is to educate consumers on their privacy and security options and to influence manufacturers to take these 
> concerns into consideration when developing their products.
>
> “The Digital Standard can be used to evaluate many products that collect data and connect to the internet,” says 
> Maria Rerecich, who oversees electronics testing at Consumer Reports. “But smart TVs were a natural place to start. 
> These sets are growing in popularity, and they can transmit a remarkable amount of information about their users back 
> to the TV manufacturers and their business partners.”
>
> Smart TVs represent the lion’s share of new televisions. According to market research firm IHS Markit, 69 percent of 
> all new sets shipped in North America in 2017 were internet-capable, and the percentage is set to rise in 2018. 
> Eighty-two million of these sets have already found their way to consumers.
>
> Internet connectivity brings a lot of appealing functionality to modern televisions—including the ability to stream 
> content through popular apps such as Hulu and Netflix, as well as to find content quickly using voice commands.
>
> But that functionality comes with substantial data collection. Smart TVs can identify every show you watch using a 
> technology called automatic content recognition, or ACR, which we first reported on in 2015. That viewing information 
> can be combined with other consumer information and used for targeted advertising, not only on your TV but also on 
> mobile phones and computers. For instance, if you’re watching a particular sports event, you could see an online 
> advertisement from a brand interested in reaching fans of that sport.
>
> In 2017 Vizio got in trouble with federal and state regulators for collecting this kind of data without users’ 
> knowledge or consent. The company settled with the Federal Trade Commission for $1.5 million and the state of New 
> Jersey for $2.2 million. The FTC has now made it clear that companies need your permission before collecting viewing 
> data—but consumers may not understand the details, says Justin Brookman, director of privacy and technology at 
> Consumers Union, the policy and mobilization division of Consumer Reports.
>
> “For years, consumers have had their behavior tracked when they’re online or using their smartphones,” Brookman says. 
> “But I don’t think a lot of people expect their television to be watching what they do.”
>
> And manufacturers are aiming to make smart TVs the centerpiece of consumers’ increasingly connected homes. Companies 
> such as LG and Samsung have recently shown off sets with built-in digital assistants that let you control other 
> smart-home devices ranging from thermostats to security cameras to washing machines to smart speakers.
>
> In a recent Consumer Reports subscriber survey of 38,000 smart-TV owners, 51 percent were at least somewhat worried 
> about the privacy implications of smart TVs and 62 percent were at least somewhat worried about the sets’ security 
> practices.  
>
> [snip]
>
> Dewayne-Net RSS Feed: http://dewaynenet.wordpress.com/feed/
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/wa8dzp



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