Millions of smart TVs and other streaming devices could be easily exploited by cybercriminals as they have several security vulnerabilities.
In an extensive investigation survey done by the Consumer Reports, a non-profit organization which publishes a magazine and a website, found out that the security of connected viewing devices and user privacy policies of top manufacturers were not up to the mark.
Consumer Reports analyzed smart TVs from five big U.S. TV brands — Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL and Vizio — and found several problems.
Samsung’s smart TVs and Roku’s smart-TV platform are the ones that have badly hit by the security flaws which allows hackers to change the channel, raise the volume, or (worst of all) play random YouTube videos.
"We found that a relatively unsophisticated hacker could change channels, play offensive content, or crank up the volume, which might be deeply unsettling to someone who didn’t understand what was happening," Glenn Derene, Consumer Reports' senior director of content.
However, Roku hit back hard in a blog post entitled “Consumer Reports Got it Wrong“. They have assured their customers that there is no security risk.
"Roku enables third-party developers to create remote control applications that consumers can use to control their Roku products. This is achieved through the use of an open interface that Roku designed and published. There is no security risk to our customers’ accounts or the Roku platform with the use of this API. In addition, consumers can turn off this feature on their Roku player or Roku TV by going to Settings>System>Advanced System Settings>External Control>Disabled," said Gary Ellison, Roku's vice president.
Meanwhile, a Samsung's spokesperson told Consumer Reports that they are investigating the problem and would be able to release an updated software this year that would presumably fix other related errors.
In an extensive investigation survey done by the Consumer Reports, a non-profit organization which publishes a magazine and a website, found out that the security of connected viewing devices and user privacy policies of top manufacturers were not up to the mark.
Consumer Reports analyzed smart TVs from five big U.S. TV brands — Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL and Vizio — and found several problems.
Samsung’s smart TVs and Roku’s smart-TV platform are the ones that have badly hit by the security flaws which allows hackers to change the channel, raise the volume, or (worst of all) play random YouTube videos.
"We found that a relatively unsophisticated hacker could change channels, play offensive content, or crank up the volume, which might be deeply unsettling to someone who didn’t understand what was happening," Glenn Derene, Consumer Reports' senior director of content.
However, Roku hit back hard in a blog post entitled “Consumer Reports Got it Wrong“. They have assured their customers that there is no security risk.
"Roku enables third-party developers to create remote control applications that consumers can use to control their Roku products. This is achieved through the use of an open interface that Roku designed and published. There is no security risk to our customers’ accounts or the Roku platform with the use of this API. In addition, consumers can turn off this feature on their Roku player or Roku TV by going to Settings>System>Advanced System Settings>External Control>Disabled," said Gary Ellison, Roku's vice president.
Meanwhile, a Samsung's spokesperson told Consumer Reports that they are investigating the problem and would be able to release an updated software this year that would presumably fix other related errors.