Eavesdropping With a Smart TV

An anonymous reader writes "A article on The Register titled talks about a demo that was given in London last month by NCC Group where they turned a modern TV into an audio bug. 'The devices contain microphones and cameras that can be utilized by applications — Skype and similar apps being good examples. The TV has a fairly large amount of storage, so would be able to hold more than 30 seconds of audio – we only captured short snippets for demonstrations purposes. A more sophisticated attack could store more audio locally and only upload it at certain times, or could even stream it directly to a server, bypassing the need to use any of the device’s storage.' Given the Snowden revelations and what we've seen previously about older tech being deprecated, how can we protect ourselves with the modern devices (other than not connecting them to the Internet)?"

Comments

Don't connect them to the Internet

[mbone]

Well, duh, don't connect them to the Internet. Unplug them from the wall when they are not in use, and cover over camera lenses with tape. But you should do that already.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[ShieldW0lf]

That won't work.

There's a good breakdown on infowars about why it won't work:

http://www.infowars.com/91497/

But you can't just take what's on infowars without a grain of salt, so here's a video on intel's website where they substantiate everything, but with a positive spin

http://www.intel.com/content/w...

We need open hardware. The hardware being made in the factories is not trustworthy.

For the majority who won't click links and read articles, the gist is, there's a 3G radio antenna and a special dedicated processor inside of your CPU, and it can be used to either take complete control of your device, or to destroy it. All the details are there in Intel's marketing material.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[profplump]

Yes. Wake-on-LAN and power management. Super scary stuff there. Thanks for the warning.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[Gaygirlie]

There's a good breakdown on infowars about why it won't work:

http://www.infowars.com/91497/

Most Intel's hardware doesn't ship with vPro, so it's unlikely to be much of a problem. Also, most smart-TVs and the likes still ship with ARM-chips, not Intel.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[Attila Dimedici]

Except that the advice was not to "power it off" when not in use. The advice was to unplug them from the wall.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[ShieldW0lf]

Never attribute to stupidity what is easily explained by malice. The enemy is active, intelligent, malicious and not easily pinned down.

For example, there's a whole host of conversation going on these days about "Why does the NSA fail to implement basic security measures that could have prevented Snowden from doing what he did."

The answer is to act just as they do, and look at the metadata. Don't try to put your finger on who exactly did this or that, but try to understand their nature, goals and motivations... to define them in the abstract, and act against them in the abstract.

Who is served by an easily compromised NSA? Organized crime? Multinational corporations? Israeli intelligence? Doesn't matter exactly who, if you understand their nature, you can fuck with their agenda without ever knowing who they are.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[the eric conspiracy]

Meh. I'm 63 and so long as I can get ED meds I am NOT going to feel old!

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[Ol Olsoc]

Are you aware that if you take an old television apart and go poking your fingers around in there, you'll very likely be killed, even if the television has been unplugged for over a year. They contain capacitors that will hold a deadly charge for a very long time after you unplug them.

Which is a non sequitar. If you are going into the television, you discharge the capacitor. The closest thing I can come up with is that you are sying the cap is a power source. Won't work.

You really think something they designed in these types of capabilities for espionage, but are going to be stymied by you unplugging the thing?

The US government controls what hardware is contained in those televisions. They forced the issue when they were moving away from free-to-air television. If you've been coming to slashdot for a long time, you read all about it.

So, what evidence do you have of this? How is the "snooping" device powered? What frequencies does it operate on? All this is very simple stuff. You can't hide power sources, you can't hide RF. You can't power unpowered things. I could open the back of a smart TV and find the needed components pretty quickly. You'd need a battery, an RF transmitter, and antenna. Looking, and a multimeter, and a cheap radio (I'd use a spectrum analyzer) are all you need. I forgot - a screwdriver. But trivial to find. Can't change the laws of physics, no matter how advanced the paranoia.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[pslytely psycho]

I was a television repairman in another life (before disposable TVs) and the only place that carries enough voltage and amperage to kill you is the high voltage transformer. To discharge, simply attach a ground to a screwdriver, insert under the tube connection point.(the wire from the top of the transformer to the side of the tube, notable for a large round rubber connector.) If there is a charge you hear a snap and it's discharged. If you hear nothing, there was no charge.

Works like a charm.

Re:Don't connect them to the Internet

[Ol Olsoc]

Don't bother trying to argue with tinfoil hat nutters. "Physically impossible? Hah! They(tm) reverse engineered this from technology They(tm) found in the crashed UFO!!1!one"

Which brings the conversation into the territory of Why exactly people believe some of the crazy stuff they believe.

The idea of a television with internet access being able to spy on you is one thing - not a technological issue in that at all, the belief that the television still does this after there is no energy to do this any more is somewhat bizzare.

But that's what we live in these days. People who utterly reject science, the NutterWhackers - But they will immediately take up with nonsense like this, or that they can run their car on pure water, or they can warm their house using 4 tea candles and a couple clay flower pots.

All based not on science or reality, but the paranoid idea that everything you are told by smart people is a lie, but some guy on the internet (or the History2 channel) has the real scoop. We're reaching a point that ignoring the NutterWhackers is going to just produce more ignorant people and return us to the dark ages. We should listen to smart people not stupid ones.

Or yeah, Infowars. I find that people that continually yell at you are somewhat less credible then they'd like you to believe.

Here is the Nutterwhackers version of science:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

no u

[Anonymous Coward]

we must band together and build wooden robots and wooden devices powered by steam. together we will help stop the flow of electrical current and put an end to this modern day madness!

No "Telescreen" Tag?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously, this is precisely what Orwell predicted in 1984. I am going to find everyone I ever accused of being a tinfoil hat paranoic and apologize to them in bended knee...

Simple

[ArcadeMan]

Buy a plain, regular computer LCD display. Connect Apple TV to display via HDMI, connect Apple TV to audio with optical output.

There, no physical spying inside your house.

Re:Simple

[Charliemopps]

Buy a plain, regular computer LCD display. Connect Apple TV to display via HDMI, connect Apple TV to audio with optical output.

There, no physical spying inside your house.

Except, you know, Apple, who was one of the first corporations on the NSA's list.

The best way to prevent the NSA from spying on you is to vote for people that intend to disband the agency.

1984 v 2014

[Anonymous Brave Guy]

1984: A cautionary tale about the power of the state and the dangers of ubiquitous surveillance.

2014: A real life documentary in which everyone carries around a mobile phone, everyone's car includes trackers with automatic remote location capabilities, major population centres are observed by numerous cameras logging to central databases under government control and backed by technology doing everything from facial recognition to gait analysis, even the privacy of your own home isn't private because there are literally cameras tucked away on your TV, and lots of people are OK with this as long as the pizza is still hot when it gets delivered and arrives in time for tonight's reality TV show.

I won't get one...

[CheshireDragon]

I've never bought and I will never buy a Snart TV. My current TV does have a RJ-45 if I care to hook it up to the network, but I have never used that port ONCE in the 2½yrs I have owned the TV. Nor does it have a mic and camera in it. However, if they become like the Snart phone then I will be forced to buy one as the 'dumb' ones will be fewer and fewer. If so, I will just open it up and physically cut out the camera and mic. Problem solved. Of course, I do believe there will be manufacturers out there that will still make TVs without a camera and mic for many years to come. Probably even long after I am gone.

So we had the name wrong all along?

[TigerPlish]

So we've been calling it "television" but it turns out the real name is Televisor, isn't it.

Future's so bright I need to wear shades, indeed.

Not just Soviet Russia?

[Wootery]

All these comments, and not even a nod?

*Ahem*

In Soviet Russia, TV watches you.