More Android OS problems - Ransom-Warez on your Smart TV

[Bob]

Got one of those new fancy Smart TV's that run the Open Source Android Operating system? Like an LG smart TV ?

There is a current concern in security circles that ransome-ware can jump from an infected Android Powered Smart-phone to one's other Android powered devices - - this time, one's Smart-TV could be held ransom, locked and prevented from operating..

Here is the story -

[..] software engineer Darren Cauthon revealed that the LG smart TV of one of his family members was infected with ransomware right on Christmas day.

"The infected TV is one of the last generations of LG smart TVs that ran Google TV, a smart TV platform developed by Google together with Intel, Sony, and Logitech. Google TV launched in 2010, but Google discontinued the project in June 2014.

"In the meantime, LG has moved on from Google TV, and the company's TVs now run WebOS, an open-source Linux kernel-based multitask operating system.

Cauthon says he tried to reset the TV to factory settings, but the reset procedure available online didn't work. When the software engineer contacted LG, the company told him to visit one of their service centers, where one of its employees could reset his TV.

This angered Cauthon because factory reset procedures shouldn't be secret, but also because the service center visit implied a $340 bill. The ransomware asked Cauthon to pay $500 to unlock his TV.

As one commenter on Twitter pointed out, it would be cheaper to buy a new TV. "Avoid these 'smart tvs' like the plague," Cauthon added following his discussion with LG.

and

In November 2015, Symantec researchers conducted a test and installed ransomware on a smart TV. Even if the researcher who conducted the test was an expert on Android malware and was a very skilled professional, he found it very difficult to remove the malware from the infected TV, a task he said would be extremely difficult and nearly impossible for a non-technical user.

The same test was repeated three months later by researchers from Trend Micro, who arrived at the same conclusion.

Malware targeting smart TVs is not that common, but when it hits it's usually extremely difficult to deal with. For example, in January 2016, a user had a hard time removing a basic browser scareware (tech support scam). The infected TV was also an LG TV.

In June 2016, Trend Micro reported that smart TVs were regularly targeted by ransomware, with the most active threat being Cyber.Police (FLocker).

In the meantime, Google has started working on Android TV, an Android-based smart TV platform, similar to Google TV, meaning that Android malware remains a valid threat for a large chunk of the smart TV market.

more: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/new...s-lg-smart-tv/

and

https://securelist.com/blog/incident...-the-smart-tv/

[Bob]

Google TV - what it is

http://www.androidcentral.com/google-tv

In an attempt to expand beyond phones and tablets to gather more attention in the living room, Google launched its Google TV platform in early 2010.

In its initial launch Google TV was a highly customized version of Android 2.1, though through the years it was eventually updated all the way to Android 4.2 as the platform progressed.

Google TV was designed to be used from a standard TV-style remote, but also with keyboards and touchpads for faster navigation.

Big names like Logitech, Sony, ASUS, Vizio and more well all on-board and made at least one Google TV product. The majority of Google TV devices were dedicated set top boxes, which offered HDMI passthrough so that the Google TV interface could be put on top of your cable television and the single remote could control your home entertainment system. When searching for content Google TV would pull in suggestions from cable TV, as well as video on demand services and even web pages meant to be viewed on a computer.

"Google TV struggled with a somewhat clunky interface that often ran on lower-end hardware, and because of complicated home entertainment setups it wasn't always a plug-and-play affair when buying it. Content providers weren't a fan of the way Google TV pulled in content from the internet and displayed it on the TV either, leading to crude content blocks and a lack of deals to bring major network apps to the platform.

"The combination of factors eventually caused Google TV to be considered a general failure, and devices began to wither on the vine starting in 2012."

Google TV quickly made way for two new initiatives: Chromecast and Android TV.

Android TV - is based upon Android 5.0 Lollipop, which also runs on phones, tablets and cars via Android Auto.

[joeecho]

I get the impression that everything is hackable with the right amount of knowledge.

Will the world witness a 'Maximum Overdrive" scenario in its future? Stay tuned.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_jvqPvDUEW8