cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/51634640

A new Gamers Nexus investigation found a retail LG TV actively scanning the local network for phones, laptops, smartwatches and other connected devices, while also capturing microphone audio when the screen appeared to be in standby. The investigation found voice data being stored locally even after the TV was disconnected from the network, with the queued data uploaded once connectivity returned. Researchers also uncovered webOS vulnerabilities that could potentially turn the television into a remotely controlled surveillance device. The really unsettling part isn’t just the advertising angle. It’s the fact that a consumer television can sit inside your trusted network, enumerate other devices, access a microphone, store collected data locally and communicate with external infrastructure. Put that same device in a corporate office, hospital, hotel or conference room and the security implications become considerably more serious. I went through the investigation in detail, including the network scanning, microphone behavior, ACR, webOS attack surface, offline data collection and practical mitigations

  • undrwater@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    Apparently not solved. They can connect to open (and hidden) networks without your consent.

    Per the marketing chief at LG; (paraphrased, from memory) “we own the glass, and we know everything beyond the glass.”

    • woelkchen@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      They can connect to open (and hidden) networks without your consent.

      That’s a wild claim and either I accidentally skipped a paragraph in the article or you should cite a source. Quick googling doesn’t show up anything of that sort for me.

      • undrwater@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        I’m looking for a source as well. The “apparently” I used was supposed to cover the whole comment, but I can see how it didn’t.

        The video goes into detail, and could be staged, but comments seem to support the idea anyway.

        Amazon devices are known to do this with other Amazon products to create a mesh.

        It’s not outside the realm of possibility.