Good thing I only have stupid TVs and basic cable!!! On Thu, Dec 31, 2015 at 3:43 PM, Travis <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > > > > > > http://www.macworld.com/article/3018632/security/the-next-wave-of-cybercrime-will-come-through-your-smart-tv.html#tk.rss_all > The next wave of cybercrime will come through your smart TV > > [image: smart TV] > > Smart TVs are opening a new window of attack for cybercriminals, as the > security defenses of the devices often lag far behind those of smartphones > and desktop computers. > > Running mobile operating systems such as Android, smart TVs present a soft > target due to how to manufacturers are emphasizing convenience for users > over security, a trade-off that could have severe consequences. > > Smart TVs aren’t just consumer items, either, as the devices are often > used in corporate board rooms. Sales of smart TVs are expected to grow > more than 20 percent per year through 2019, according to Research and > Markets. > > While attacks against smart TVs are not widespread yet, security experts > say it is only a matter of time before cybercriminals take note of the > weaknesses. > > “Many of the solutions aren’t even adapting the best practices that are > already known in the IT world,” said Phil Marshall, chief research officer > for Tolaga Research <http://www.tolaga.com/>. “The ecosystem is > fragmented, and there is an emphasis on getting the solution to market > quickly.” > > Smart TVs are essentially computers, with USB ports, operating systems and > networking capabilities no different than smartphones. But unlike computers > and mobile devices, smart TVs often don’t require any authentication. > > “Basically with these TVs, if you are in the same room, you’re always > going to be treated like you’re the owner of the TV,” said Craig Young, a > computer security researcher with Tripwire. > > Young, who has been researching security issues with smart TVs, also said > some models don’t confirm whether someone sending commands over the network > is the same person who can actually physically control the TV. > > This means an attacker from afar could potentially cause a smart TV to > show something far more risque than the latest sales figures during a > meeting. > > “If someone in the board room is doing a presentation, that can lead to > some embarrassing situations or some unexpected situations,” Young said. > > Many of the major manufacturers—Samsung, LG and Sony—have built app stores > for smart TVs, a model pioneered by Apple for smartphones. But users can > also be convinced to download malicious apps from third-party app stores, > an attack method used against smartphones that could also be used against > smart TVs. > > Candid Wueest, a threat researcher with Symantec, deliberately infected > his > <http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/how-my-tv-got-infected-ransomware-and-what-you-can-learn-it> > brand-new, Android-powered TV with ransomware, which is malware that > encrypts files and demands a ransom to be paid in bitcoin. > > Wueest’s experiment was a bit rigged: he modified the DNS (Domain Name > System) settings on his own router in a mock man-in-the-middle attack and > directed the TV to download the malicious app from a dodgy source. But such > an attack would not be beyond the capabilities of attackers, he said. > > Wueest has also noted many other issues with smart TVs revolving around > software updates. Some models do not use encryption known as SSL/TLS > (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) when downloading updates. > > That would make it possible to trick a TV into downloading malicious > firmware, which is low-level code that bridges a computer’s hardware and > operating system at startup. Some models of smart TVs don’t even verify the > integrity of the downloaded firmware. > > Security for smart TVs “is more sprinkled on at the end as an > afterthought,” Wueest said in a phone interview from Switzerland. > > All of these issues pose vexing problems, particularly as smart TVs become > more integrated with commerce and people increasingly enter payment card > details into their TVs. > > “My wife likes to do Black Friday shopping on the TV,” said Scott Wu, > co-founder of 0xID <https://0xid.com/>, a Seattle-based company that > specializes in mobile device security. “You are closely tied to your > financial information on your TV.” > > Smart TVs don’t run antivirus software, and it’s questionable whether that > would be a practical solution to stopping cyberattacks. > > While antivirus software could work, it also could degrade performance, > and the question becomes “whether running security software on the TV is > going to mean your Netflix is going to become choppy,” Young said. “That > would be a big deal breaker.” > > At least for Android, Wu said that its permissions model limits what apps > can do without explicit approval from a user, blunting the capabilities of > a malicious app on a smart TV. But users might just mindlessly click away > warnings to continue watching TV. > > Young said the issues around smart TVs are the same ones affecting a whole > range of devices that are now being networked-enabled, the so-called > Internet of things, that experts worry can be abused. > > Some companies are addressing the concerns with new products designed to > detect anomalies on networks rather than full-scale antivirus software. For > example, F-Secure’s Sense <https://sense.f-secure.com/#how-it-works> > product and one from Dojo-Labs <https://www.dojo-labs.com/product/dojo/> > monitor home network traffic flowing to many devices for signs of trouble. > > “It’s clear that people in the industry are thinking about this problem,” > Young said. > > > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected]> > ------------------------------ > > > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNnExbHFsBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NTE1OTE1ODg-> > > > [image: Yahoo! 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