The FBI is finally getting around to telling us:
Today: building a digital defense with your TV.
Yes, I said your TV. Specifically your smart TV…the one that is sitting in your living room right now. Or, the one that you plan to buy on super sale on Black Friday.
Smart TVs are called that because they connect to the Internet. They allow you to use popular streaming services and apps. Many also have microphones for those of us who are too lazy to actually to pick up the remote. Just shout at your set that you want to change the channel or turn up the volume and you are good to go.
A number of the newer TV’s also have built-in cameras. In some cases, the cameras are used for facial recognition so the TV knows who is watching and can suggest programming appropriately. There are also devices coming to market that allow you to video chat with grandma in 42” glory.
Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home. A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her an easy way in the backdoor through your router.
Hackers can also take control of your unsecured TV. At the low end of the risk spectrum, they can change channels, play with the volume, and show your kids inappropriate videos. In a worst-case scenario, they can turn on your bedroom TV’s camera and microphone and silently cyberstalk you. [FBI/Portland]
We’ve been looking at getting an LG OLED television, but have been put off by the price, which we expect to come down, and the fact that it now has a microphone so that Alexa, the personal assistant from Amazon, can listen in on you.
And I’m feeling fairly sure that snipping the wires from the microphone to the main processor would be a messy, warranty-voiding task.
So, unless LG acknowledges that some folks just don’t want Alexa, an OLED TV from LG may not be in our future, despite its superior (last I checked) energy consumption and display characteristics. Trading our security for additional features which, frankly, we’re not interested in just isn’t a favorable trade.
In general, a microphone and speakers are a communications medium, not only for you to use, but sometimes even computers. Yep, I’ve read about it: Years ago, a computer that was completely off the Internet was nevertheless hacked by someone – and the owner of the computer believes it was via the microphone in the victim and the speakers of a computer in the same room that was connected to the Internet.
I never heard if he figured out the technical details or not. I mean, the one off the internet had to have a vulnerability already … yeah, easier not to have Alexa and her damn microphone.
Make that one of your rules of digital ruling: if there’s a microphone on some computing device, be suspicious that someone is monitoring you, even if it appears to be off. Even of your phone.
