Smart TV Malware Is Another Thing We Have To Worry About, According To Samsung

As if worrying about our phones and computers being infected with malware wasn’t bad enough, it seems that Samsung might have caused a bit of undue panic and stress with a recent warning/reminder that the company issued. In a now-deleted tweet, Samsung sent out a reminder that owners of QLED TVs should regularly scan their devices for malware, especially if they are connected to WiFi.

The tweet, as we said, has since been deleted, but not before it has led to many questioning why the tweet even went out to begin with. Was it in response to a particular threat that was specifically targeting QLED TVs? Or could this just be Samsung reminding everyone to stay safe?

That being said, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that our smart TVs could be compromised. The Verge cites a WikiLeaks article which revealed that the CIA had actually developed a piece of software that could turn a Samsung smart TV into a listening device. Combine that with a zero-day vulnerability discovered by a security researcher, it seems that the security of our TVs should be something to pay attention to.

That being said, it also serves as a warning that while smart TVs do have their uses, perhaps the benefits of such devices might not outweigh some of the potential security and privacy concerns associated with them.

 

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: Malware, Samsung, Security, TVs