It’s not just smartphones or PCs that are prone to security vulnerabilities; smart TVs are too. We’re probably looking at one such instance today. According to a new security research report published by a cybersecurity company called Mnemonic, several apps on Samsung’s smart TV platform contain code that could expose users’ internet connections to outsiders. Well, on its part, Samsung confirmed it’ll ban such smart TV apps.
Samsung to ban smart TV apps that turn TVs into proxy nodes
Mnemonic discovered that certain apps on the Samsung TV platform have features that can “route strangers’ web traffic through your home internet connection, making the requests look like they came from you.” This could potentially allow smart TVs to be used as residential proxy nodes without users realizing it. One app that the report mentions is a popular game, Pac-Man. Samsung endorses it in its Editor’s Choice section of its app store.
These apps reportedly contained residential proxy (resproxy) software. It allowed outsiders to route their internet traffic through users’ home or office connections. Once opened, the app with resproxy code could turn the smart TV into an always-on exit tunnel for outsiders to funnel their web traffic through. This is known as an exit node, and it could remain active even when the app is no longer open. The Mnemonic report describes a combination of flaws that has allowed low-quality apps to spread across Samsung’s app store.
Researchers say these apps contain code that could allow third parties to use users’ internet connections without their knowledge. Many of these apps are little more than bare-bones shells with only a few lines of code. Some of those just load content, such as games, from external websites. Because the actual content is on remote servers, app reviews typically inspect only the small amount of code packaged with the app, rather than the content itself.
Strict platform-wide developer policies
Either way, Samsung confirmed to TechCrunch that it would ban apps that share users’ internet connections. “We have already restricted new app registrations that incorporate such proxy functionalities on our Smart TV platform,” a Samsung spokesperson said. “We are currently implementing strict platform-wide developer policies explicitly banning residential proxy SDKs, and we are working to identify and remove all apps currently available in our store that contain these components.”
This comes after LG said last month that it would ban apps containing resproxy software. This followed a report that found 42% of its app store apps turned smart TVs into proxy network nodes. Besides smart TVs, residential proxies have also been an issue with VPNs, mainly the free ones.
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