Android without security updates
by Volker Weber
Family member's tv is bricked by Android malware. #lg wont disclose factory reset. Avoid these "smart tvs" like the plague. pic.twitter.com/kNz9T1kA0p
— Darren Cauthon (@darrencauthon) December 25, 2016
Comments
Da kommt so richtig Freude auf.
The Internet of Shitty Things
In Deutschland wären rechtliche Schritte nen Versuch wert. Allein um kein Präzedenzrisiko zu haben würde LG vermutlich austauschen oder das Geld zurückgeben. Auf der anderen Seite unglaublich, dass sowas notwendig sein soll.
"... So @lgus has given me instructions on how to do the factory reset on the tv. I'll be trying it out after work... fingers crossed!"
"... Seriously I thank @LGUS for the help. They jumped into the prob instead of ignoring. Now share reset codes with ur tech support & online :)"
Still not something I would like to see happen at my place - considering TV's role in our private network will full connectivity to home servers!
Yeah if you side load strange apps from non-reputable sources to your TV you kind of deserve shit like that.
This is however no excuse for not updating or not disclosing the factory reset
IOT is a nightmare, both as trojans for DDOS attacks and (likely) as monitoring devices (intentional & not). As much as possible, I put my IOT items on the guest network at my house, but even then, I'm concerned about them being used without my knowledge for nefarious reasons.
I don't know how we can get providers of these (often low cost) devices to harden & maintain the firmware - maybe there's room for a third party solution to protect you & your home from your stuff. Sigh.
Trouble is: It is really really hard to buy a dumb TV these days. All of them include "smart" functions.
Wie sagte vowe neulich so schön: The "S" in IoT stands for security ...
Still you are not forced to connect the smart TV to the Internet. Just give up on the not so smart built-in functions and feed content via HDMI, DVB-[C|S|T(2)].
It is always a good idea to "outsource" Internet access and nasty software to a separate device a la FireTV or Chromecast. You still have all benefits of todays streaming world and your TV is "firewalled". Losing a device like FireTV means financial loss <100€.
