The Smart TV is not that “Smart” if you ask us. The idea behind a smart TV is just to let the consumers control the device through the Internet, but what if there is a serious security flaw in the smart TV? What if the hackers can easily bypass security measures of television and gained the admin access? It would be a nightmare.
Well, Neseso IT security researchers have discovered [Pdf] a critical vulnerability which leaves smart TV’s users at mercy of the hacker. According to these security researchers, a security flaw in a 32-inch Samsung’s Tizen-based smart TV can easily be exploited by the hackers to get the root access to the “not so smart” smart-TV.
What’s The Flaw?
Thr Neseso researchers found that there is no authentication procedure in the place when connecting to the Smart TV – instead, the TV uses an already defined list of devices approved by user. On the surface it may look as if everything is alright, but here is what’s wrong with it. Hackers can easily get the whitelisted MAC address!
By doing this, hackers will gain the remote control of the smart TV. Now just imagine sitting on the couch drinking beer while watching your favourite TV show and just suddenly someone starts changing the channels on their own and there is nothing you can do about it. Very frustrating right? But that is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot more to it.
“Samsung Smart TVs running Tizen OS are prone to a security vulnerability that allows an attacker to impersonate a trusted device to obtain unrestricted access without authentication when connected via Wi-Fi Direct,” Neseso Research Team.
The Worst Part
Once a hacker gains access to your smart TV, they can hack into your network the TV is connected to, and we just don’t need to explain what will happen next, do we?
