A new Gamers Nexus investigation found a retail LG TV actively scanning the local network for phones, laptops, smartwatches and other connected devices, while also capturing microphone audio when the screen appeared to be in standby. The investigation found voice data being stored locally even after the TV was disconnected from the network, with the queued data uploaded once connectivity returned. Researchers also uncovered webOS vulnerabilities that could potentially turn the television into a remotely controlled surveillance device. The really unsettling part isn’t just the advertising angle. It’s the fact that a consumer television can sit inside your trusted network, enumerate other devices, access a microphone, store collected data locally and communicate with external infrastructure. Put that same device in a corporate office, hospital, hotel or conference room and the security implications become considerably more serious. I went through the investigation in detail, including the network scanning, microphone behavior, ACR, webOS attack surface, offline data collection and practical mitigations

  • Dagamant@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    All smart tvs are spying. Putting pressure on one brand is fine because it might pressure at least one of them to start making dumb TVs again.

  • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    The scariest part to me is this part:

    The investigation found voice data being stored locally even after the TV was disconnected from the network, with the queued data uploaded once connectivity returned.

    • UnLocoPoco@lemmy.worldOP
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      7 days ago

      This is how literally every mainstream OSes work unfortunately. Even Windows does the same with telemetry

  • ZkhqrD5o@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    If there’s a device that has a computer in it that I cannot control the operating system off, it does not get any outside connection. No exceptions. Be it the car, the TV, the e-reader or whatever else.

  • CMDR_Horn@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    This is obviously the result of razor thin margins from competition on price, so they needed find evil ways to show growth for investors.

    Do the two tier pricing model like amazon did with kindle. $50-100 cheaper for the NSA model. More expensive one for people with >2 braincells

    • UnLocoPoco@lemmy.worldOP
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      7 days ago

      Yes true. Also, the processor they put inside even on the highest end TVs are a joke. Slow af. This is one of the reasons why many opt for an Apple TV or a Fire TV or any good Android box just because they are so much faster