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Android-Based Smart TVs Aren't That Smart When You Install Malware On Them (softpedia.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Smart TVs running older versions of the Android operating system are being infected with malware that was specifically built to target smart TVs. Infections occur via applications downloaded from a series of sites ran under the H.TV brand. These are websites that offer applications specifically built for Android smart TVs that allow users to watch TV channels from other regions of the globe. As usual, these apps are side-loaded from unofficial app stores. Fortunately, it's not a smart TV ransomware.
Android-Based Smart TVs Aren't That Smart When You Install Malware On Them
I think this is obvious. Is there anyone who thinks otherwise? Anyway, why is this a headline on Slashdot? I sincerely just don't get it.
For a moment I was hoping the "malware" just removed the manufacturers cruddy adware/malware, transforming the device into an old-fashioned "dumb" just-works television.
Since I like Neweggs stance on patents, here is a non affiliate link to some examples: http://www.newegg.com/Commerci...
Silence is a state of mime.
Apple doesn't make a smart TV, they make an overpriced, underpowered set top box. This article is about smart TVs.
It also requires the user to intentionally side-load the malware in order to be infected. Something you flat-out can't do on an Apple TV.
Want to watch Amazon Prime on Apple TV? Or anything else that Apple hasn't officially blessed? Tough. You can't.
Don't install malware on your Android-based smart TV and you'll be fine.
I have an Apple TV too, but it isn't terribly useful, even at $99. And the new one is way overpriced.
After 3 years of using my High end Sony Smart TV for internet video streaming, I bought a Stream Box because the TV's software was never updated and some services like YouTube actually stopped functioning because of end of support for whatever streaming method the device was using.Someone really needs to explain to Executives at TV manufacturers than nobody goes out to Replace a TV just so the SmartTV functions can get updated. Not when one can go buy a stream Device for a fraction of the price and get updates and a much better interface and function.
The best thing you can do with a "Smart TV" is dumb the fuck out of it.
The best thing you can do with a "new" car you bought with all the bells and whistles is to not use any of them.
The best thing you can do with a "fast" computer is to never put it online.
Perhaps next time you could come forth with a technical solution beyond "dumb the fuck out of it", which only makes you look like a moron.
Just a thought.
Well, thanks for telling us what it's not, but TFA doesn't actually confirm that, if anything it says it could be literally anything. Essentially this malware creates a system by with other malware can be downloaded and installed.
So it could, actually, be ransomware. And, to be honest, I'm trying to think of malware that would be useful (to attackers) on expensive smart TVs except for ransomware. It can't exactly install keyloggers to grab your credit card numbers...
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Perhaps next time you could come forth with a technical solution beyond "dumb the fuck out of it", which only makes you look like a moron.
There's actually a good reason for that without even getting into security issues: Odds are those "smart" features will be obsolete before your TV is, so instead of paying extra for "smart" features, it's probably better to pay less for an STB that you can replace every so often instead.
Even if they don't go obsolete, chances are your TV manufacturer won't provide any feature additions as they come. If you want them, you'll have to buy next year's model, which is dumb.
Odds are those "smart" features will be obsolete before your TV is
Even if they don't go obsolete, chances are your TV manufacturer won't provide any feature additions as they come. If you want them, you'll have to buy next year's model, which is dumb.
That's the problem with buying anything "smart" -- phone, TV, car, whatever. The people making these things are only interested in being able to advertise lots of features. They don't give two shits about updating them, making them secure or even if they are useful at all.
I've never understood why someone would want an integrated "smart TV". Things become obsolete, app makers switch to a new os/hardware config. If you have your smart device integrated into the TV there is no way to replace a relatively cheap system in an expensive one. Whereas if you have a separate smart device and it no longer supports the apps you want, breaks, or is infected with a virus you simply buy a new one (often quite cheaply) hook it up and you're off and running. Also from what I've seen separate smart TV device manufactures often have more stable, well supported software since they are dealing with a limited number devices instead of dozens of TV models. My Amazon Fire/Chromecast devices have required a simple restart less than a dozen times since I bought them 2 years ago. Someone I know who owns a 4k smart TV has had to factory reset their TV at least 3 times due to software bugs in the last year alone. Buying a TV with integrated smart capabilities is like buying a house with a fridge/washer/dryer permanently cemented into a wall.
I don't think people install malware intentionally, they are tricked into it by definition they didn't want to
We *have* a Samsung 4k "Smart" TV and we don't use any of the smarts - at all. What drives it is the XB One, or the Android TV Stick. I'm not even sure how to use the "smart" part. But it said "Smart" on the box...
I have no doubt that the "smart" feature is something they added to make it more appealing in some way, but why?
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
For a moment I was hoping the "malware" just removed the manufacturers cruddy adware/malware, transforming the device into an old-fashioned "dumb" just-works television.
You know, I bet there would be a market for a utility that took a "smart" TV and basically lobotomized back into a standard TV, incapable of being infested with malware. Have it lock out all the ridiculous garbage "features" that make it vulnerable and turn it into just a plain ol' TV with normal features.
If I ever bought a smart TV I'd probably be willing to pay to have it dumbed down.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
I have no doubt that the "smart" feature is something they added to make it more appealing in some way, but why?
What they meant is that it's "smart" enough to be vulnerable to malware attacks, instead of just blissfully ignoring them like a regular TV does.
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
The problem with smart TVs is that they get designed and build and sold and then the market changes and you're stuck with all these build in apps that are pointless. Whereas if you just get a really nice TV for a cheaper price then attach a Roku, Fire Stick, Chromecast, etc, then you can update that device and get new applications and technologies far more cheaply. Especially true with the first generation of smart TVs that were impossible or very difficult to upgrade or add new channels to. Another example, the smart TV might only do 802.11b, whereas most media players under $100 are much faster and more flexible.
The bells and whistles in some cars become obsolete very quickly. Built in satellite radio service, for a service that became defunct before the auto was less than a year old... An iPhone connector but you decided to get an Android instead. Better for the auto to have some generic common or standardized connectors, then attach your own navigation system, radio system, media player, etc.
You could cut out 2/3 of the title and be perfectly accurate
"Smart TVs aren't smart." Full stop.
They're the bastard children of TVs and Computers that do not accomplish either task as well as their dedicated parents.
This signature is false.
My so called smart tv can play files from Windows shared folders. What I wish is that VLC could play streams to it instead.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
Easy to do, don't connect it to a network.
Plug in a Roku or similar device instead.
Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
Buying a Steam Box to... watch youtube videos etc, is one weird decision.
Lack of updates is another puzzling reason, I have a bunch of TVs and even 5 year old C series Samsung keeps updating stuff (which is rather annoying).
Not sure about new revisions, but most of the older Samsung TVs I touched ran Linux.
There is a wonderful SamyGo project, which allows you to root and harness your TV (full shell access, SAMBA/NFS mounts, ui patches and even cardsharing clients)
They are hoping consumers/suckers will fall for the Android marketing model. New features are only available with the new model, not the one you've purchased. Including essential security.
OpenElec (was XBMC) on a hacked Chrombox works well for me. Dumb TVs forever.
Q:I was listening to a CD in Grip and it sounded horrible! What's up? A:Perhaps you are listening to country music
Actually, my Samsung smart tv [used to] update almost weekly. It drove me nuts. It took about 5 minutes. What was it updating? As far as I know, just the ads for services someone paid them to install. I was pretty stoked when I first bought it. I soon discovered it was a very dumb version of smart. It crashed continuously. And worse, it pings some Samsung domain to see if it is connected to the internet and if they were down (which was pretty frequent), the TV thought my internet was down. Netflix took about 3 minutes to load any given show, and more often than not just crashed the tv. I never did get the youtube app to work for more than a few minutes. It had an internet browser that couldn't render any pages correctly. My remote keyboard would only function with that and nothing else. It was just a piece of shit. But the picture was good. I disconnected it from the internet and use a roku instead. Problem solved.
He was concerned that his comment might be a security risk, so he dumbed the fuck out of it to make it more secure.
I would like to know what I get out of a 'smart' TV for the extra cost and terrible interface provided, that I can't do better with a AppleTV / ChromeCast / Amazon FireTV stick, which can be swapped out as new technologies emerge.
I'm very glad that I have a TV that I purchased right before the whole 'smart' TV thing started happening, which only tries to be a large display that accepts HDMI signals. That way, I don't have to have it exposed to a menagerie of flaws and failures due to firmware that is never updated.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
I have a Blu-Ray player that can stream video from Blockbuster.
Yeah, glad they spent the engineering time on that.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
Or you could just not let it connect to the internet by not giving it WiFi pass codes or plugging it in. I have found that has solved the bulk of the problems with my Samsung. I have a PC connected anyway as a DVR so I can get the Netflix/Hulu/Amazon stuff anyway.
Once you decide you don't need the "smart" features you disconnect it from the internet. That has solved my issues. I have a PC connected anyway.
You do realize that the reason Amazon Prime Video isn't on AppleTV is because Amazon doesn't want it on there, right? Amazon didn't create an app to do it, where they do have an app for iPad and iPhone. Netflix has no problem working on AppleTV, nor does Hulu. Why would Apple let those services on, but block Amazon Prime Video?
Also, Amazon is the one not carrying competitors' hardware any more - just go try to buy an AppleTV from Amazon, or the new version of ChromeCast. You won't find them, but the first search result will be a FireTV stick.
But I'm sure that Apple is still the bastard in your mind because they didn't go and write an app for Amazon, cracking the DRM to play the video anyway when Amazon didn't graciously help them.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
I have to agree - I had a 2nd gen AppleTV that I used the hell out of until I did a full DVR build. Due to Amazon Prime video being a pain in the ass, I bought a cheap FireTV stick, and I'm rather impressed at what $35 gets you, considering that a PLEX client is available on it as well. Unless Apple steps their game up a lot farther than some Siri-enabled nonsense, I don't see a return to AppleTV in my future, even with the new downloadable 'app' thing on the new one.
Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
A little of both I think. Youtube stopped supporting their "apps" on certain devices, especially ones that can view Youtube via their web browser. The PS Vita is one of those. It was probably done to reduce the plethora of devices they had to support.
The bells and whistles in some cars become obsolete very quickly. Built in satellite radio service, for a service that became defunct before the auto was less than a year old... An iPhone connector but you decided to get an Android instead. Better for the auto to have some generic common or standardized connectors, then attach your own navigation system, radio system, media player, etc.
Surprisingly Satellite radio has remained unchanged for years.
I've rarely seen an "iPhone connector", but I have seen a USB port which can be used for an iPhone, an Android, a flash drive, or just to charge.
Most cars these days will do Aux in, and Bluetooth, which are "generic common or standardized"
Once you decide you don't need the "smart" features you disconnect it from the internet.
Pfffft, anyone could do it that way. ;)
Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
But the big satellite provider went bankrupt I thought?
There use to be Sirius satellite radio, and XM satellite radio. Both flirted with bankruptcy. They combined to form Sirius XM, with identical programming, though there are two different satellite networks and protocols to broadcast this identical programming.
.. may cause you to install malware.. Er.. Is this really an article?