Smart TVs could be hacked through over-the-air signal, no internet connection required

A security consultant has discovered a way to send malicious signal to a smart TV that will compromise its security.

Recently WikiLeaks revealed documents about the shocking hacking procedures of CIA, which showed that CIA was able to exploit all kinds of vulnerabilities of the smart devices used by people and hack their personal data. Those devices also included smart TVs, which were turned into microphones to record conversations in the room. And now, a security consultant has discovered a way to send a malicious signal to a smart TV that will compromise its security and incredibly the process won't even require internet.

The exploit uses the digital video broadcasting, the terrestrial transmission standard built into TVs to gain access. Reportedly all the smart televisions that are currently tuned to a DVB-T station, contain a bug that can be exploited and without any knowledge of the user and the TV would be compromised.

"Once a hacker has control over the TV of an end user, he can harm the user in a variety of ways," Rafael Scheel, the security consultant who publicly demonstrated the attack, told Ars Technica. "Among many others, the TV could be used to attack further devices in the home network or to spy on the user with the TV's camera and microphone."

The exploit, which Scheel developed for Swiss security consulting company Oneconsult, was demonstrated at the European Broadcasting Union Media Cyber Security Seminar.

This article was first published on April 3, 2017
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