My problem with smart TVs is less so with the connectivity and more so with how unresponsive the UIs tend to be. Unless those two things are directly related, in which case maybe I should consider disconnecting mine from the Internet, I guess.
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Samsung says users should scan their smart TVs for malware every few weeks
- Thread starter Mcfrank
- Start date
You think the vast majority of the population out there who have a smart TV understand how the software works?
Lol.
So I'll probably be in the market for a new TV soon... do they even make decent ones that don't have all this Smart TV stuff?
Nope. I'm not speaking to the wider population, I'm posting in this thread where people, like yourself, are just saying "it's a TV" which makes no sense as it would be like saying "it's a phone" about a smartphone.
I don't know how anyone here (in a gaming enthusiast forum) doesn't understand that a Smart TV uses software to run apps. Like you're literally running things like Netflix and mobile games on it lol.
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As has already been mentioned in this thread, just don't hook it up to the internet. I'm not even worrying about the bullshit in the OP, I'm just not going to use the terrible built in OS. I have an Apple TV for streaming, and consoles for everything else.
I am currently pulling my hair out with my Samsung Tv.
If you go to a HDMI input or turn the tv off for a few hours and then come back to it, you can't use YouTube on the app right away, it hangs and won't load a thing. I have to open Prime THEN BBC and only then can I go back to YouTube and it'll work.
How did the smart future get so fucking stupid?
If you go to a HDMI input or turn the tv off for a few hours and then come back to it, you can't use YouTube on the app right away, it hangs and won't load a thing. I have to open Prime THEN BBC and only then can I go back to YouTube and it'll work.
How did the smart future get so fucking stupid?
Sadly not, as someone who recently upgraded an ancient workhorse of a non-smart TV.
At least not anything with decent performance from a well-regarded manufacturer.
There are benefits to having built-in apps over the equivalents on an external box, however. Like the built-in BBC iPlayer app on my TV can display 4K HDR live broadcasts, and its YouTube app also supports 4K, unlike on my Apple TV.
Very true, buying a non-flgaship TV just use as a HTPC monitor is a pain because the crappy interface is slow as shit.
It's getting better with Android and stuff, but the interfaces are honestly a disgrace. The quality is somewhere around smart oven and smart fridge levels.
I love plugging it in every few months just to get the firmware updates. Living in the future is a drag, man.
Malware = Malicious Software, which includes spyware. Software that activates even built in functions without the user knowing or authorizing it absolutely falls under malware. Don't believe me? Check out Norton, Wikipedia, the FTC, or even the dictionary if you like. I'm not talking about features a TV may have that a user can opt into. Those are all plausible things that malware could do on a SmartTV that I listed after someone posted what's a smart tv malware going to do make you watch bad reality tv?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding a fundamental component of Smart TVs, but why would I need to check for malware? They run what, Netflix and a few other pre-approved apps, why would I be at risk of it being compromised? I'm already unhappy with how the TV guide is utter trash on my new "smart" TV compared to my 2011 Samsung (super sluggish and the PiP changes to whatever channel you're hovering over rather than staying on your current one), now I'm being told it's also insecure too.
Yeah, I don't get this either. Wouldn't you have to be using like a browser or something on the TV? And even then, can the browser even download anything?
How does the TV get anything malicious on it if it's just using a bunch of apps?
Do we need to scan our video game consoles for malware as well?
I'm not saying it's just a TV, I was just highlighting why people would be thinking that way.
Not necessarily. The Smart TV presumably attempts to contact a known probably trusted server for its content or features. If that server is compromised, or an attacker manages to fool the TV into thinking they're the server (a man in the middle attack), if there are vulnerabilities in the TV it could be compromised.
All apps are programs. Running any program on any computer always puts that device at some level of risk, even game consoles. It's all a matter of degree. We mitigate this risk by only running programs from known trusted sources, that are digitally signed by a trusted source. This is why "increased stability" is something you see in patch notes all the time. It's not just to stop your games from crashing. Though every time a program or game crashes, it's basically because the system wasn't in the state the program or hardware expected, which in certain types of situations, makes the system vulnerable. This is how you get jailbreaks, home brew, and piracy too.
LG's WebOS is excellent on their OLED TV's. Feels as responsive as the Wii (Since it's got a pointer like the Wii lmao), maybe even a bit better.
Am I going to have to scan my light bulbs for viruses next? If they rapidly turn on and off I guess it's got a virus.
Unfortunately, I have no interest in OLED TVs due to the potential for burn-in. I know that they've made strides in that regard, but it still concerns me. It's a shame that WebOS was relegated to TVs, though. Such a cool OS.
You've never watched TV naked before? You've never masturbated or had sex in front of your TV? That kind of ransomware isn't new or surprising.
Funny enough, this was a serious concern with the freaking Juice-ero device, that high-end juicemaker that had DRM juice packets. It had an extremely low-quality wifi chip, low-quality in terms of protection, and the device also had a camera installed, so it was very easy for your juicemaker to be hacked into, the camera taken under control, and record whatever it was you were doing in your kitchen, without your knowledge.
The Samsung smart TV has the same problem, apparently!
Being a duck you were likely the only one I would have understood not knowing!
Having a lower end LG model with WebOS, I can say that it's better than some, but still sluggish. Just having an option for disabling the interface graphics and animation would be a step up.
Seriously? Get me off this technology train. I already hate the constant console updating, computer snafus, 'subscription' programs instead of just being able to own stuff, and iphone BS. I want to go back to 2001. Give me back Windows XP!
They have regular firmware updates.
A TV that's more than a couple of years old won't.
To be fair, many IoT devices are unsecured mess and being used daily for DDoS attacks, so AV for such devices would actually made sense.
People who are dismissing the concept of IOT malware not being able to annoy you personally need to read up on botnets like Mirai. They might not do anything to you directly, but they can recruit your devices and internet connection into networks used to attack infrastructure and bring down websites. A smart lightbulb with an internet connection has everything it needs to participate in a DDOS attack.
I hate my TV because every little feature is connected to the internet. when I have no internt I can't use shit. nothing nada
I can't record to my HDD. hell, even the USB playback feature is disabled for some stupid shit reason.
get fucked with that shit samsung
What we actually need is to connect all the IoT trash to a central hub that manages and updates them in addition to acting as a firewall. Letting each device connect directly is madness.
In 2017 It was revealed that samsung's tizen was the least secure smart tv os out there
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Can't speak for Samsung, as i won't buy their trash, but my Sony 4K tv works just fine while ignoring all the smart features. You can't literally turn it off, but it's not connected to the internet so that stuff won't work if I accidentally hit the wrong button on the remote.
My Apple TV, PS4, and Switch are the only things that are ever used on the TV.
Only issue I ever had with it is it would ask for firmware updates occasionally, but I disconnected it from the WiFi and it's just a tv now.
Oh man, I wish... Rebinding those buttons on the remote would also be a dream.
I do the same. I've never connected my smart TV to the internet and use my Apple TV for all the smart functionality I need. I just don't trust these OEMs.
I heard Samsung smart TVs display fucking ads as well. Nah, fuck that. Hopefully there will still be dumb TV options when my current one dies. I'm fine with using a game console or whatever for smart TV features. I suppose even if there isn't I can just not give it my wifi password so whatever. Hopefully there aren't any built in ads.
I know what malware is, thanks. I have been an IT Security Consultant for 12 years now. I pointed out to you that the examples you set can easily be used by the OEM without malware propagation.
There was a DDOS attack a while back where it turned out the botnet was being hosted on old hacked DVD players. The Internet of Things is truly the Internet of Shit.
I'm surprised people are surprised....
These are all effectively just computers running an OS and software, of course they can be "hacked".
And to people saying you don't use the smart stuff on the TV (I actually don't use the smart stuff on my TV either BTW, cause its an older TV and the software sucks) and that you use an android box / apple TV / FireTV or whatever... Those have the same potential vulnerabilities and should be scanned too if possible. No internet connected computers is save from this.
It's a good thing that Samsung says this and allows for it, not a bad thing as some seem to think.
These are all effectively just computers running an OS and software, of course they can be "hacked".
And to people saying you don't use the smart stuff on the TV (I actually don't use the smart stuff on my TV either BTW, cause its an older TV and the software sucks) and that you use an android box / apple TV / FireTV or whatever... Those have the same potential vulnerabilities and should be scanned too if possible. No internet connected computers is save from this.
It's a good thing that Samsung says this and allows for it, not a bad thing as some seem to think.